Here are the two reasons why I am asking the Jackson Middle School community to retire the name of Jackson Middle School:

1. By the time, Andrew Jackson became President he owned 100 hundred slaves. And here is a prime example how he treated his slaves:

“The Hermitage slave community, such as when Jackson ordered runaway male slaves whipped upon capture. In 1804, for example, Jackson placed a newspaper advertisement describing a runaway slave named Tom Gid. He promised “ten dollars extra, for every hundred lashes any person will give him, to the amount of three hundred” if Tom were captured outside of the state. (Tom does not appear to have been captured.) In the case of one repeat offender named Gilbert, running away cost him his life. In August 1827, Jackson’s overseer, Ira Walton, determined to whip Gilbert in front of the other slaves to send a message; instead, the slave fought back and ended up dead from a knife wound.

Female slaves were not immune to violence either. In 1815, one of Jackson’s nephews informed him that “[y]our wenches as usual commenced open war” against the overseer. This familiar behavior stopped after the slave women were “brought to order by Hickory oil,” a reference to being whipped. In 1821, the Jacksons were living in Florida while Andrew served as territorial governor. During one of his absences, Rachel wrote to her husband that her slave, Betty, “has been putting on some airs, and been guilty of a great deal of impudence.” Her sin was washing clothes for individuals in the neighborhood without Rachel’s “express permission.” Jackson instructed several of the men who formed part of their Pensacola household to punish Betty with fifty lashes at “the public whipping post” if she refused to obey his wife. Betty was “capable of being a good & valuable servant,” he wrote one of the men, “but to have her so, she must be ruled with the cowhide.” Source: National Endowment for the Humanities

2. The second reason I am asking for the retiring of Andrew Jackson Middle School is because of the Indian Removal Act which also lead to The Trail of Tears under President Martin Van Buren.

President Andrew Jackson in “The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830, authorizing the president to grant lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders. A few tribes went peacefully, but many resisted the relocation policy. During the fall and winter of 1838 and 1839, the Cherokees were forcibly moved west by the United States government. Approximately 4,000 Cherokees died on this forced march, which became known as the "Trail of Tears.” Source: Library of Congress

Questions that you might consider asking yourself in why Andrew Jackson should be retired.

1. Is slavery wrong, why?

2. Was President Andrew Jackson owning black slaves racist, why?

3. Was the Indian Removal ACT wrong, why?

4. Was the removal of only Native Americans from their land racist, why?

5. Do we or you as a community feel comfortable that President Andrew Jackson’s name should be on a shirt or jersey the students could potentially wear at Jackson Middle School, why?

There is no question that President Andrew Jackson was a slave owner that did horrific things to his slaves and was the author of the Trail of Tears which moved thousands of Native Americans from the south including Florida to Oklahoma.

If the School Board and the Jackson Middle School Community decide to retire Andrew Jackson from the school that is located at 1515 Knox Mcrae Dr. Titusville, FL, then I believe that the Middle School Community and the Titusville Community should rename the school.

How could you help in retiring the name?

1. Do your research on President Andrew Jackson, know the positive and negative impacts he had on our country.

2. Have those open civil and honest conversations with your church members, your coworkers, your community members, with your neighbors, and with your family.

Thank you for listening and your time.

Sincerely, Mr. Hochman