”Old Hickory” återuppstånden
Minnet och bruket av Andrew Jackson i 2000talets amerikanska offentlighet
Abstract
Andrew Jackson, America’s seventh president, inhabits a highly divisive role in American historical culture. In this article, I analyze the expression and meaning of this role in 21st century representations of Jackson, as well as how these representations reflect trends and traditions within their historiographical and cultural context. My objects of study are the musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and the debates surrounding its use of history, debates concerning the removal of Jackson from the 20-dollar bill, and the use of Jackson by Donald Trump. I find that different representations of Jackson are largely linked to political divisions and can be seen as participating aspects of the larger struggle of ”the history wars”. Competing ways of remembering Jackson are also tied to different vernacular cultures: this can be seen, for instance, in the way Jackson is treated from a Native American point of view.
