The Counternarrative of “Some Account of some of the Bloody Deeds of General Jackson”
By Erika Riepe
Broadsides are essentially large, single page flyers that were handed out in places like town squares and churches. They usually described current events, popular culture, and pushed political causes[1]. This broadside titled “Some Account of some of the Bloody Deeds of General Jackson” describes various deaths Andrew Jackson can be blamed for. There are seven articles, illustrations of several black coffins (the top six are named while the others are illustrative), and a woodcut of Jackson attacking a man with a cane. The broadside is most likely from the 1828 presidential campaign between Jackson and John Quincy Adams which involved much ‘mudslinging,’ where both parties fired harsh attacks on each other.
The two largest articles are about soldiers Jackson had executed. He mercilessly refused six men’s begging to live and had many others executed for desertion. Another article explains how he had a soldier shot for being a nuisance. The others describe Jackson’s attacks on civilians and Native Americans, including women and children. The broadside is clearly a political attack and emphasizes Jackson’s violence. The bold, black coffins and woodcut depicting one of Jackson’s violent outbursts send this message even if the viewer does not read the articles.
The broadside is focused on destroying Jackson’s image as a national war hero (he became a general in the War of 1812 and lead the impressive defeat of the British in the Battle of New Orleans). The idea of the war hero is linked to ideas about American masculinity and manhood. The articles in the broadside show that Jackson contradicts these ideals. In the late 1800s, masculinity meant channeling aggression and ambition into productive goals.[2] In other words, men could and should have these qualities, but they must not be destructive.[3] Men were also expected to be the opposite of boys who were impulsive, spontaneous, and brutish.[4]
The war hero is thus a good example of American manhood. Military officers channel ambition and aggression into a national goal. They use violence in beneficial way and are not overly destructive. This broadside targets its attacks on Jackson to contradict these manly qualities war heroes are assumed to have. Stories like the executed soldiers emphasize Jackson’s “needless cruelty.”[5] The articles about his attacks on Native Americans also stress this point, but also his murder of women and children. Jackson betrayed the male role of protecting the household made up of the weaker women and children, an original and key part of American manhood.[6]
The broadside also shows Jackson as impulsively violent. He does not productively channel aggression or avoid spontaneous, childlike destructive outbursts. He murdered a man on the street with his cane, randomly confronts a civilian with his pistol, and executed a soldier for being a nuisance. The broadside specifically attacks Jackson on qualities relating to masculinity and aggression. This is different from other political attacks on him from the same time period that were much more personal. For example, he was accused of marrying his wife before her divorce was finalized.[7] Another person accused his mother having children with a mulatto man, Jackson being one of them.[8] These personal attacks tried to hurt his reputation in a very different way than this broadside.
“Some Account of some of the Bloody Deeds of General Jackson” is an excellent example of the ‘mudslinging’ from the 1828 presidential campaign, but it also shows that meeting the standards of American manhood was very important. To be a good leader, one must be properly masculine. Each article in the broadside shows Jackson does not have an essential ‘manly’ quality. Focusing on his impulsiveness and cruelty overturns Jackson’s status as a respectable war hero. However, Jackson was still overwhelmingly elected. Today, we often look back on his presidency and consider his needless cruelty so maybe this broadside was just ahead of its time.
[1] “The Popularity of Broadsides.” The Library of Congress, accessed February 1, 2020, https://www.loc.gov/collections/broadsides-and-other-printed-ephemera/articles-and-essays/introduction-to-printed-ephemera-collection/the-popularity-of-broadsides/.
[2] Anthony E. Rotundo, American Manhood: Transformations In Masculinity From the Revolution to the Modern Era. New York: BasicBooks, 1993, 3. https://hdl-handle-net.proxy.uchicago.edu/2027/heb.02535. EPUB.
[3] Ibid, 20.
[4] Ibid, 21.
[5] Lincoln Collection. Broadsides, [Box 2, Folder 3], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
[6] Rotundo, 12.
[7] Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]), 07 May 1827. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85025006/1827-05-07/ed-1/seq-2/>
[8] Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.), 29 July 1828. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024735/1828-07-29/ed-1/seq-3/>
Bibliography
Lincoln Collection. Broadsides, [Box 2, Folder 3], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.
Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]), 07 May 1827. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85025006/1827-05-07/ed-1/seq-2/>
“The Popularity of Broadsides.” The Library of Congress. Accessed February 1, 2020. https://www.loc.gov/collections/broadsides-and-other-printed-ephemera/articles-and-essays/introduction-to-printed-ephemera-collection/the-popularity-of-broadsides/.
Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.), 29 July 1828. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024735/1828-07-29/ed-1/seq-3/>
Rotundo, E. Anthony. American Manhood: Transformations In Masculinity From the Revolution to the Modern Era. New York: BasicBooks, 1993. https://hdl-handle-net.proxy.uchicago.edu/2027/heb.02535. EPUB.