Graduate Thesis: Martial Law in New Orleans

Despite two centuries of historical research on the War of 1812 and the Battle of New Orleans specifically, little is known about the martial law declaration of Andrew Jackson and his reasons for taking such dramatic action. The overall perceptions that emerge from the historical record are that either Jackson was a megalomaniacal tyrant and imposed martial law to satisfy a lust for power or that martial law occurred in a natural course of conducting defense of the city. This study undertakes an exploration of how Louisiana’s distinctive circumstances affected Andrew Jackson’s decision to declare martial law in New Orleans.