Meet Howard Kittell, CEO of The Andrew Jackson Foundation and The Hermitage
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An insurgent candidate for U.S. president ran as a disruptor and accused the federal government of ignoring the concerns of every-day Americans during a political polarized time.
His rise to prominence and power rocked the political system and forever changed the United States.
This wasn't the 2020s but the 1820s, and this man was Andrew Jackson, the seventh U.S. president.
Jackson was one of three Tennesseans elected to serve in the White House and his home known as The Hermitage is in eastern Davidson County and is one of several presidential homes across the nation.
The professional who has led the efforts over 15 years to preserve and sustain The Hermitage and tell Jackson's story is Howard Kittell, CEO of The Andrew Jackson Foundation.
On Episode 378 of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, he talked about his interest in history and how he has worked to tell a holistic story of Andrew Jackson -- the good and the bad, from the Battle of New Orleans to the Trail of Tears and from the “original sin” of slavery to how Jackson shaped the ability of low-income men to achieve their dreams.
Kittell, who recently announced that he is retiring, said that Jackson reflected American society of the 1820s, 1830s and 1840s and he works to reconcile that historical era with how modern Americans see him today.
In recent years, the home gained national attention because former President Donald Trump toured The Hermitage in 2017.
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The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
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David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063 or email him at dplazas@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voices: Meet Howard Kittell of The Andrew Jackson Foundation
