Andrew Jackson
an allusion
Statue of Andrew Jackson in Nashville, Tennessee.
A veteran of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson was popularly known as "Old Hickory" for his ruggedness. He gained national fame when he ran the British out of New Orleans in 1815, and he governed the Florida territory from 1821-23. Elected to the U.S. Senate by the Tennessee legislature in 1823, he was sent to Washington as a presidential contender on the strength of his image as a hero of the wild frontier.
Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/andrew-jackson
Scout's innocent narratorial question "If General Jackson hadn't run the Creeks up the creek, Simon Finch would never have paddled up the Alabama, and where would we be if he hadn't?" introduces the idea of family heritage, something of great value to Aunt Alexandra. The reference to General Jackson also touches on the kind of male, frontier hero that Jem wishes his father Atticus could be, until he learns to see beyond such outward appearances of male virtue and greatness.
Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/andrew-jackson
Scout's innocent narratorial question "If General Jackson hadn't run the Creeks up the creek, Simon Finch would never have paddled up the Alabama, and where would we be if he hadn't?" introduces the idea of family heritage, something of great value to Aunt Alexandra. The reference to General Jackson also touches on the kind of male, frontier hero that Jem wishes his father Atticus could be, until he learns to see beyond such outward appearances of male virtue and greatness.