General Andrew Jackson
The Hero of New Orleans

Accession number:
1989.04

Maker:
Nathaniel T. Currier
(1813-1888)

Historical period:
Ca. 1835

Miltary branch:

Wars and Conflicts:

Type:

Dimensions:
H x W: 14 in. / 10 in.

Acquisition date:
N/A

Credit line:
The Army and Navy Club Library Trust Fund

Location:

Provenance:
N/A

Label:

The Battle of New Orleans (December 1814 to January 1815) was the last major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, prevented the much larger British force from seizing New Orleans and the vast territory of the Louisiana Purchase.

While the outnumbered Americans seemed about to lose New Orleans, the Federalist party only weeks earlier had been at the Harford Convention proclaiming its grievances with the Louisiana Purchase.

The Democratic-Republican party immediately politicized Jackson’s victory, ridiculing Federalists as cowards, defeatists, and secessionists. Prints like this one, along with pamphlets, songs, editorials, and plays, drove home that point, simultaneously glorifying Jackson’s heroic image.

Discredited and disgraced, the Federalists were eliminated as a major national political force.