Andrew Jackson, the man who set out plans that would usually send men floundering in panic, became a war hero during the War of 1812, shattered the Second Bank of the United States, removed national debt, and dominated over the Supreme Court. Historian and author, Matthew Warshauer of Andrew Jackson and the Politics of Martial Law, Nationalism, Civil Liberties and Partisanship claims that then Major General Andrew Jackson believed it was crucial to declare “martial law and suspend the writ of habeas corpus” in order to win the battle of New Orleans. However, as Washauer claims, by doing so, Andrew Jackson became the first American general to suspend civil liberties.
Through this monograph, Washauer tells the tale of Andrew Jackson’s …show more content…
Many Americans attached themselves to the thought of Jackson as a war hero – as it was common practice to idolize a military/political figure.
Following his brief accounts of the War itself, Washauer addresses the rising question; who should be allowed to undermine the Constitution? Washauer’s question adds to the historiography of Jackson by examining his political prowess and rise of Jacksonian Democracy stemming from his subvert of the Constitution in New Orleans. By books end, Washauer writes a monograph that addresses Jacksonian America through both political and legal lenses and military and social lenses. This scholarship offers a new interpretation to the rise of Andrew Jackson.
Washauer makes the argument that in order to fully understand martial law and the evolution of its use under emergency powers, one must examine the political history of civil liberties during the time of Andrew Jackson. Furthermore, Washauer raises that President Abraham Lincoln references back to Jackson’s use of military power and suspension of civil liberties during the Civil War noting that it was a common practice to suspend the writ of habeas corpus during a national emergency.
Author’s Intent and …show more content…
First he addresses the impending, yet uncertain, British invasion. Secondly he addresses Andrew Jackson’s declaration of martial law over New Orleans. Washauer argues that by Andrew Jackson declared martial law as a means to protect the people and keep the peace. Washauer uses primary sources to illustrate that Jackson planned to restore order and lift martial law after the battle was won and peace had been restored. However, after defeating the British and holding New Orleans, Major General Jackson continued to declare martial law in fear of a second attack on the city; knowing well enough that the British where still in the Gulf of Mexico. The question then became, as Washauer addressed, who should be allowed to undermine the Constitution? This leads into Washauer’s