Trump, “Old Hickory” and Louisiana

If you ever have a chance to walk into President Trump’s new oval office, the first thing you will see is a portrait of former President Andrew Jackson. A different painting of Jackson hung in the same location during the four years of Trump’s first presidency. Simply put, Trump is a big admirer of the America’s 7th president. And so should every Louisianian. For good reason. Along with Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson was the key critical component in keeping Louisiana as a vital part of America. In fact, without Jackson, all of us here in the Bayou State might be speaking French as our native language and might be living under a different culture in a different country.
Andrew Jackson was not a native of the Bayou state. He was America’s seventh president, and was the only president to have been a prisoner of war, having been captured by the British at 17 while serving in the Revolutionary War. He later was Nicknamed “Old Hickory” for his legendary toughness on the battlefield. During his presidential campaign in 1828, his opponents called him a jackass. Jackson was amused and used the image to win the presidency. He founded the Democratic Party and used the jackass as its symbol.
But what Andrew Jackson did for Louisiana was incredible. In the war of 1812, New Orleans was under siege by the British. Major General Andrew Jackson rushed to New Orleans and gathered a rag tag army made up of a motley group of local citizens, frontiersmen, slaves, Indians and even pirates. He was eager to fight the British, telling his wife: “I owe to Britain a debt of retaliatory vengeance, and should our forces meet I trust I shall pay the debt.”
Louisiana should regularly thank its lucky stars for Jackson’s tenacity to get his revenge. He soundly beat the British at the Battle for New Orleans, became an American hero, and saved Louisiana from becoming a permanent British protectorate.
If ever there were any two individuals who should be regularly honored and commemorated in Louisiana history, there should be doubt the two should be Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. And for many years, the Louisiana Democratic Party did honor both American heroes by hosting an annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner as a yearly fundraiser. Democrats held similar events across the country.
But no more in Louisiana. Party officials have decide it is no longer “politically correct” to honor these two American icons. You see, they were slave owners. It made no difference that the first seven American presidents also owned slaves, as did most of the nation’s founding fathers. The democratic leadership apparently wants to judge these past heroes based on present-day values, and continue a warped effort to re write Louisiana and American history.
The new Louisiana fundraising dinner is now name is now called the “True Blue Gala.” I suppose we will see a resolution at the dinner calling for the re-naming of Jefferson and Jackson parishes, Thomas Jefferson High School in Gretna, the town of Jackson, La., Jefferson Island in Iberia Parish; the list goes on and on.
The Louisiana Democratic Party has become more and more irrelevant in the Bayou State. And Jackson’s symbol for the Democrat Party would seem to have a different connotation today. The real jackasses are those democratic ingrates who try to rewrite history and belittle past leaders who served and saved our nation, particularly in Louisiana. Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson deserve a lot better.
President Jackson once said: “I was born for the storm for the com did not shoot me.” President Jackson l once said: “I was born for the storm for the calm did not suit me.” When it comes to being a controversial leader, both Jackson and Trump have a lot in common. That’s why our new president honors Jackson as being his most admired leader. So thank you “Old Hickory.” Louisiana owes you a great debt of gratitude.

Peace and Justice
Jim Brown