{"id":1060,"date":"2025-04-09T21:34:47","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T21:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/?p=1060"},"modified":"2026-03-30T16:23:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T16:23:06","slug":"dr-woods-class-tours-the-hermitage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/2025\/04\/09\/dr-woods-class-tours-the-hermitage\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Dustin Wood\u2019s Class Tours The Hermitage"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI hope to meet you all in heaven, both Black and White.\u201d According to Hannah, one of<\/span>
\nthe enslaved persons by Andrew Jackson\u2019s bedside, these were the last words of the
\n\"\"former president before he died in his bed<\/span>room at The Hermitage. <\/span>This account of<\/span>Jackson\u2019s final moments is one of many stori<\/span>es th<\/span>at can be told about the people who lived and worked at The Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee.<\/span><\/p>\n

A man of contradictions, Jackson was a champion of democracy and an enslaver of more than 100 people. Before becoming Commander-in-Chief, Jackson was a military hero and Tennessee politician who made his home 15 miles from Vanderbilt University\u2019s campus. Jackson\u2019s 8,000-square foot Greek Revival-style mansion is now a historical museum \u2013 the second oldest presidential home museum in the United States. <\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to the kind folks at The Hermitage, Dr. Dustin Wood\u2019s Histories of Public <\/span>Communication class had the opportunity to visit Jackson\u2019s 1,000-acre estate for an<\/span>immersive educational experience. On their priva<\/span>te tour, Wood\u2019s students enriched their<\/span>knowledge of the man nicknamed \u201cOld Hickory\u201d and the people \u2013 free and enslaved \u2013<\/span>who lived on Jackson\u2019s once bustling plantation. Touring the mansion and grounds <\/span>invited reflection on what lessons can be\"\" gleaned from the past. The recent discovery of <\/span>a cemetery for enslaved persons is a reminder that there is still much to learn \u2013 and <\/span>many stories to be told \u2013 at The Hermitage. <\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Wood\u2019s Histories of Public Communication class investigates U.S. history by examining rhetorical texts from the Founding Era through the 21st Century. In doing so, Wood and his students explore themes of identity (What does it mean to be an American? Whose America is this?) and nation creating, building, and sustaining. President Jackson represents a key figure in this historical drama.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI hope to meet you all in heaven, both Black and White.\u201d According to Hannah, one of the enslaved persons by Andrew Jackson\u2019s bedside, these were the last words of the former president before he died in his bedroom at The Hermitage. This account ofJackson\u2019s final moments is one of many stories that can be…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":1120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[13,3,12],"tags":[7,5],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cdn.vanderbilt.edu\/vu-cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/04\/07165239\/Updated-AS-website-spotlight-template-1-person.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1060"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1084,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060\/revisions\/1084"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/communication-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}