History vs. Andrew Jackson - James Fester
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0:07 - 0:10A national hero? Or public enemy number one?
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0:10 - 0:12Historical figures are often controversial,
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0:12 - 0:15but few were as deified or vilified
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0:15 - 0:16in their lifetime
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0:16 - 0:19as the seventh President of the United States.
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0:19 - 0:23This is History vs. Andrew Jackson.
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0:23 - 0:28"Order, order, hm, uh, what were we...ah yes, Mr. Jackson!
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0:28 - 0:31You stand accused of degrading the office of the presidency,
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0:31 - 0:34causing financial collapse
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0:34 - 0:37and wanton cruelty against American Indians.
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0:37 - 0:39How do you plead?"
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0:39 - 0:42"Now, Your Honor, I am not a big city lawyer,
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0:42 - 0:44but I do know a few things.
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0:44 - 0:46And I know that President Jackson was
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0:46 - 0:47a self-made frontiersman,
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0:47 - 0:48a great general,
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0:48 - 0:51a real man of the people."
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0:51 - 0:53"Your Honor, this 'man of the people' was a gambler,
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0:53 - 0:54a drunk, and a brawler.
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0:54 - 0:56Why, I've heard it said that
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0:56 - 0:57he would fight at the drop of the hat
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0:57 - 0:59and then drop the hat himself.
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0:59 - 1:00I ask you,
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1:00 - 1:03was such a man fit for the most distinguished office in the nation?
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1:03 - 1:05Can we forget the debacle of his inauguration?
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1:05 - 1:08Who ever heard of inviting a drunken mob
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1:08 - 1:09into the White House?
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1:09 - 1:12It took ages to get the upholstery clean."
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1:12 - 1:16"That drunken mob, sir, was the American people,
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1:16 - 1:18and they deserve to celebrate their victory."
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1:18 - 1:22"Order, order! Now, did this celebration have pie?"
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1:22 - 1:24"Very well. Mr. Jackson, is it not the case
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1:24 - 1:26that immediately upon assuming office
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1:26 - 1:28you introduced the spoils system,
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1:28 - 1:30replacing hundreds of perfectly good federal employees
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1:30 - 1:33with incompetent party loyalists?"
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1:33 - 1:36"Your Honor, the President did no such thing.
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1:36 - 1:38He tried to institute rotation in office
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1:38 - 1:41to avoid any profiteering or funny business.
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1:41 - 1:43It was the rest of the party
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1:43 - 1:46who insisted on giving posts to their lackeys."
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1:46 - 1:48"But Mr. Jackson complied, did he not?"
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1:48 - 1:50"Now, uh, see here."
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1:50 - 1:51"Moving on.
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1:51 - 1:54Mr. Jackson, did you not help to cause
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1:54 - 1:56the financial Panic of 1837,
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1:56 - 1:58and the ensuing economic depression
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1:58 - 2:00with your obsessive war
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2:00 - 2:02against the Bank of the United States?
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2:02 - 2:03Was not vetoing its reauthorization,
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2:03 - 2:05as you did in 1832,
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2:05 - 2:08an act of irresponsible populace pandering
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2:08 - 2:10that made no economic sense?"
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2:10 - 2:12"Your Honor, the gentleman has quite the imagination.
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2:12 - 2:14That bank was just a way for rich Yanks
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2:14 - 2:16to get richer.
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2:16 - 2:18And all that money panic was caused
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2:18 - 2:19when British banks raised interest rates
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2:19 - 2:21and cut lending.
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2:21 - 2:24To blame it on the President is preposterous, I say."
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2:24 - 2:26"But if Mr. Jackson had not destroyed the National Bank,
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2:26 - 2:29it would have been able to lend to farmers
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2:29 - 2:31and businesses when other credit dried up,
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2:31 - 2:33would it not?"
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2:33 - 2:34"Hm, this is all highly speculative.
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2:34 - 2:36Can we move on?"
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2:36 - 2:37"Certainly, Your Honor.
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2:37 - 2:38We now come to Mr. Jackson's
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2:38 - 2:39most terrible offense:
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2:39 - 2:42forcing entire tribes out of their native lands
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2:42 - 2:44via the Indian Removal Act."
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2:44 - 2:46"I resent that accusation, sir.
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2:46 - 2:48The U.S. of A. bought that land from the Indians
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2:48 - 2:50fair and square."
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2:50 - 2:51"Do you call coercion and threats
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2:51 - 2:54by a nation with a far more powerful army
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2:54 - 2:56fair and square?
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2:56 - 2:58Or signing a treaty for removing the Cherokee
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2:58 - 3:00with a small group that didn't include
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3:00 - 3:01their actual leaders?
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3:01 - 3:03They didn't have time to properly
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3:03 - 3:05supply themselves before the army came
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3:05 - 3:08and forced them to march the Trail of Tears."
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3:08 - 3:09"Now, hold on a minute.
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3:09 - 3:10This was all Van Buren's doing
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3:10 - 3:13after President Jackson left office."
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3:13 - 3:15"But Mr. Jackson laid the groundwork
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3:15 - 3:17and made sure the treaty was ratified.
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3:17 - 3:19All President Van Buren had to do afterwards
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3:19 - 3:21was enforce it."
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3:21 - 3:22"Look here, Your Honor.
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3:22 - 3:24Our government's been purchasing
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3:24 - 3:26Indian land since the beginning,
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3:26 - 3:27and my client was negotiating these deals
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3:27 - 3:29even before he was President.
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3:29 - 3:31President Jackson truly believed
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3:31 - 3:32it was best for the Indians
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3:32 - 3:34to get compensated for their land
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3:34 - 3:35and move out West,
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3:35 - 3:36where there was plenty of space
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3:36 - 3:37for them to keep living
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3:37 - 3:38the way they were accustomed,
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3:38 - 3:40rather than stick around
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3:40 - 3:42and keep butting heads with the white settlers.
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3:42 - 3:43Some of whom, I remind our court,
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3:43 - 3:45wanted to exterminate them outright.
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3:45 - 3:47It was a different time."
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3:47 - 3:49"And yet, even in this different time,
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3:49 - 3:51there were many in Congress
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3:51 - 3:51and even the Supreme Court
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3:51 - 3:53who saw how wrong the Removal Act was
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3:53 - 3:54and loudly opposed it,
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3:54 - 3:56were there not?"
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3:56 - 3:58"My client was under a great deal of pressure.
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3:58 - 4:01I say, do you think it's easy
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4:01 - 4:02governing such a huge country
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4:02 - 4:04and keeping the Union together,
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4:04 - 4:05when states are fixing to nullify
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4:05 - 4:07federal laws?
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4:07 - 4:09President Jackson barely got South Carolina
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4:09 - 4:11to back down over those import tariffs,
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4:11 - 4:13and then Georgia had to go discover gold
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4:13 - 4:15and start grabbing up Cherokee land.
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4:15 - 4:17It was either get the Indians to move
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4:17 - 4:19or get in another fight with a state government."
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4:19 - 4:21"So, you admit that Mr. Jackson
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4:21 - 4:23sacrified moral principles to achieve
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4:23 - 4:24some political goals?"
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4:24 - 4:27"I do declare, show me one leader who hasn't."
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4:27 - 4:29As societies change and morals evolve,
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4:29 - 4:31yesterday's hero may become
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4:31 - 4:33tomorrow's villain, or vice versa.
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4:33 - 4:35History may be past,
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4:35 - 4:39but our understanding of it is always on trial.
- Title:
- History vs. Andrew Jackson - James Fester
- Description:
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View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/history-vs-andrew-jackson-james-fester
Andrew Jackson was both beloved and loathed during his presidency. In this imaginary courtroom, you get to be the jury, considering and weighing Jackson's part in the spoils system, economic depression, and the Indian Removal Act, as well as his patriotism and the pressures of the presidency. James Fester explores how time shapes our relationship to controversial historical figures.
Lesson by James Fester, animation by Brett Underhill.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:54
Jennifer Cody approved English subtitles for History vs. Andrew Jackson - James Fester | ||
Jennifer Cody accepted English subtitles for History vs. Andrew Jackson - James Fester | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for History vs. Andrew Jackson - James Fester | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for History vs. Andrew Jackson - James Fester | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for History vs. Andrew Jackson - James Fester |