The U.S. Treasury recently decided to replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill with Harriet Tubman. NPR鈥檚 Morning Edition host wrote a book about Jackson. He says he sees parallels between the former president and the leading candidates for the job in 2016.
Interview Highlights: Steve Inskeep鈥�
鈥n the parallels between Jackson and Donald Trump:
鈥淚 think you have to say it carefully because they鈥檙e not similar in a lot of ways. It鈥檚 not that they have the same issues or the same ideas; it鈥檚 that Donald Trump has this tone: 鈥業鈥檓 going to fight for you, my supporters. I鈥檓 going to fight for the people I perceive as my people. I鈥檓 going to do whatever I have to do. I don鈥檛 care what tactics I use and I don鈥檛 care who gets hurt.鈥� That was the tone Andrew Jackson had with his supporters.
"Now there are also huge differences. Though Jackson鈥檚 portrayed as an outsider, he was a particular kind of insider and spent decades in government before he ran for president. He didn鈥檛 show up one day and say, 鈥業鈥檓 qualified for this job.鈥欌��
鈥n what Jackson shares with Bernie Sanders:
鈥淸Jackson] actually crusaded against, fought against and destroyed the Bank of the United States, which was the central bank of its time. He said moneyed eastern elites had gotten too cozy with this institution, were profiting by it, and that was endangering democracy....
"With that said, there鈥檚 huge differences there [between Jackson and Sanders] as well. The most significant was Jackson did not believe in a strong governmental intervention in the economy in any way. He had a very different view about government than someone like Sanders would today.鈥�
鈥n being in Jackson's home state of Tennessee when the Treasury decision came down:
鈥淧eople, at least in the area where I was, applauded, which surprised me a little bit because there are a lot of people who revere Andrew Jackson in Tennessee, were raised to revere Andrew Jackson. I think there鈥檚 still a lot of support for him, but it鈥檚 a little quiet right now."
鈥n how Jackson delayed the Civil War:
鈥淗e was dubious of federal power until he became the federal power. It鈥檚 an accomplishment of his that when South Carolina began spinning out of the orbit of the union in many ways, he dragged them back. In fact, he said, 鈥業 will raise an army of hundreds of thousands of men and crush you if you do not come back. In the end, they worked out a compromise, South Carolina stayed, and the Civil War was put off for another thirty years.鈥�
Steve Inskeep co-hosts NPR鈥檚 Morning Edition and is the author of
