The Hermitage Mansion

Andrew Jackson carefully shaped visitors' first impressions of The Hermitage Mansion as they rounded the cedar-lined carriage drive and saw its direct frontal view, which disguised the fact that the Greek revival facade did not continue around the sides of the house. For Jackson's family and most visitors, the mansion symbolized Americans' celebration of liberty and love of democracy. To enslaved African Americans and social reformers, however, its stylish Greek revival design represented slavery and the failings of American democracy. In hospitality, exhausting labor, peaceful moments, and contentious discussion, Jackson's home carried powerful and differing meanings for many people over the years.

Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Tennessee · United States