| |
Explore Trail of Tears & Andrew Jackson’s Legacy with Dr. Dan Feller
University of Tennessee, Knoxville history professor and author Dan Feller will give a lecture on Andrew Jackson’s influence on Native American removal in the United States to conclude the 10th Annual East Tennessee History Fair presented by the East Tennessee Historical Society. The lecture, which will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 20, at the East Tennessee History Center, will explore events leading to and effects caused by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Traveling exhibit panels from Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage will accompany the lecture as part of the presidential home’s Andrew Jackson 250th birthday commemoration programming. The East Tennessee History Center is located at 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902.
Feller’s lecture coincides with a resurgence of interest in Jackson, including recent visits to The Hermitage from President Donald J. Trump (March 15) and former First Lady Laura Bush (May 17), the release of a new introductory film and biography about Jackson’s life, and the development of new HBO miniseries starring Sean Penn and based on Jon Meacham’s best-seller “American Lion.”
Feller is the editor of The Papers of Andrew Jackson at the University of Tennessee and has contributed to numerous historical reference works, including the Oxford Companion to United States History, the Reader’s Guide to American History, the Dictionary of American History and American National Biography. His critical essays and review articles have appeared in the Journal of the Early Republic Reviews in American History, in Documentary Editing, and on H-SHEAR. He is currently at work on a biography of Benjamin Tappan, a Jacksonian politician, scientist, social reformer, and freethinker.
Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage: Home of the People’s President is one of the largest, most well-preserved and most visited presidential homes in the United States. Opened to the public in 1889, The Hermitage is one of America’s first presidential museums. Today, The Hermitage is a 1,120-acre National Historic Landmark with 27 historic buildings, including Jackson’s mansion and tomb, restored slave cabins, a church, and gardens. In recent years, new interpretive initiatives and educational programs such as archaeology and the history of slavery, as well as Andrew Jackson: Born for a Storm, a new state-of-the-art exhibit that delves into the life of Andrew Jackson, including his military and presidential careers have enriched the site experience for 180,000 visitors annually. The Foundation anticipates an increased attendance of more than 200,000 guests for the current fiscal year. For more information, visit www.thehermitage.com.
Every year on March 15, we pause to remember the birthday and accomplishments of Andrew Jackson – the orphaned son of Irish immigrants who grew up to become a Tennessee pioneer, one of America’s foremost military heroes and political leaders, and the seventh president of the United States. Andrew Jackson was born in South Carolina 250 years ago. While he spent his youth in the Carolinas, Tennessee was his adopted home. In 1804, Jackson purchased the farm near Nashville that he would name The Hermitage and call home for the rest of his life. He was buried there in 1845.
Established in 1834, the East Tennessee Historical Society has been helping East Tennesseans hold on to our unique heritage -- recording the events, collecting the artifacts, and saving the stories that comprise the history we all share. The historical society pursues its education mission through publications, lectures, conferences, school programs, museum exhibits, and heritage programs such as the popular First Families of Tennessee and Civil War Families of Tennessee. The East Tennessee History Center houses the staff and programs of the East Tennessee Historical Society, the Museum of East Tennessee History, the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, and the Knox County Archives.
Published August 17, 2017 |
