I should mention, if I haven't already, that I see the tendency towards authoritarianism/totalitarianism as a problem of democracy. As successive groups succeed in gaining the reins of power, they try to grab as much as they can, preferably all.
Although Jackson became an aristocrat, he was born dirt poor Scots Irish, e.g., the scum of the earth to a tory, and in many ways he was a 19th century version of trailer park trash. His election to the presidency caused great pain to those more "gently bred." The stories of his followers walking around the well-appointed rooms of the White House with muddy boots, tracking mud all over the carpets, gouging the polished wood of the floors and furniture, standing on the upholstery in order to get a better look, pilfering whatever wasn't nailed down, are still told.
There's a new version of the Alamo which is coming out soon. I'm looking forward to your reaction. I expect you to erupt in flames and fireworks not seen outside Fourth of July.
As for the Floridas - Jefferson thought he was buying whatever the French thought they owned.
Well, let's back up a bit.
The Spanish sided with the French during the 7 years war (which we call here in the US the French and Indian War), and lost part of Florida (without looking it up, if memory serves me, Georgia and maybe Alabama) to the Brits, who later became the Americans. The French Bourbon king "gave" Louisiana to his Spanish Bourbon king cousin, who politely demurred, but was overrruled. At the time, Louisiana was a money hole.
Louisiana was under Spanish rule for a couple of decades, and then Napoleon wanted it back, at first just to have it, and later, so he could sell it, because he needed money. So, he pressured the Spanish Bourbon king "cousin" to retrocede it, and then decided to sell it to Jefferson.
Ok, that's oversimplified but essentially accurate.
At some point the French believed that Louisiana extended from the Perdido River (the boundary between present day Florida and Alabama) west to the Sabine, in Texas, and then northwest all the way to Oregon.
I've seen contemporary maps that show Virginia extending all the way to the Pacific, which was depicted as being just west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
In other words, they really just didn't know what they had. |
