In this Jan. 7, 2015 photo, items belonging to President Andrew Jackson are displayed in the new “Andrew Jackson, Born for a Storm” exhibit in Hermitage, Tenn. The exhibit coincides with the 200th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, in which Jackson won a brilliant victory against the British in the War of 1812. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) NASHVILLE -- The head of the state Democratic Party said today it's time for Democrats to discuss renaming their annual fundraiser, which honors President Andrew Jackson of Tennessee, the founder of the national Democratic Party.
Noting that states, including Georgia, have recently decided to name their jackson-Jefferson Day annual dinners, Mancini said in a news release that "as I begin to field more and more questions about the annual TNDP Jackson Day Dinner, as well as the placement of President Jackson on the $20 bill, it's clear that Tennessee Democrats must have a conversation and discuss Andrew Jackson's legacy."
Mancini said when Jackson was elected the nation's seventh president, Tennessee "was a very different place. In 1828, the population was fewer than 400,000, railroad connectivity didn't exist, and slavery was the norm.
Mary Mancini speaks following her election as chairwoman of the Tennessee Democratic Party in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig) "In 1828, Andrew Jackson was elected because he captured the imagination of the American people. He was elected because he believed that the White House was the people's house. He was elected because he believed that the voice of the 'common man' was heard through the occupant of that famous house in Washington."
That's the "legacy that Andrew Jackson, the father of the Democratic Party, left us - that the common man has a place in the political process and is no less important than the rich and powerful," she said.
Democrats will "be forever grateful to General Jackson for infusing the Democratic Party with that spirit we were the 'party of the people' then and we are the 'party of the people' now - and we will continue to honor that legacy," Mancini said.
"But if we don't acknowledge the whole of our history, if we don't acknowledge Jackson's participation in slavery or the forced removal of Native Americans from their lands, then we would be derelict in our stewardship of that legacy."
In 2015, Mancini said, "we may very well decide to name our annual event after someone who better exemplifies who we are today. We may not. But either way, let's not shy away from the conversation."