by Jon Meacham
55 “Notwithstanding all their tyranny” Correspondence, V, 14–16.
56 Jackson was another Macbeth Wiltse, John C. Calhoun, II, 178.
57 “a question of self-preservation” PJCC, XII, 69.
58 “it will be resisted” Ibid.
59 “Mr. Calhoun is not a fine looking man” EDT, II, 32.
60 Calhoun, Clay said, seemed “careworn” Freehling, Road to Disunion, 266. See also Peterson, Great Triumvirate, 222–23.
61 Webster, who favored the Force Bill, rose Remini, Daniel Webster, 378.
62 “The people of the United States” Ibid., 379.
63 “The bill granting the powers” Correspondence, V, 18.
64 “Well, Clay, these are fine fellows” Remini, Henry Clay, 429.
65 the Compromise of 1833 Peterson, Great Triumvirate, 222–33. Freehling, Road to Disunion, 283–85, details the Calhoun-Clay negotiations over tariff rates—negotiations Clay dominated. On the ground in South Carolina, Poinsett worried about compromise. To him, facing the nullifiers close at hand, cutting the tariff was giving the potential rebels at least part of what they wanted. In essence, Poinsett believed that a compromise in Washington amounted to surrendering to blackmail. “With regard to the tariff bill, I am disposed to believe that it will be better for the country that it should not pass during the present session,” he told Jackson on February 28. “It is doubtless just and politic that the tariff should be modified; but to do it now would have the appearance of yielding to threats and might affect the character and diminish the strength of the government.” Fortunately Jackson thought differently (Correspondence, V, 23–24).
66 tariff reform Freehling, Road to Disunion, 284–85.
67 the olive branch to the sword Merrill D. Peterson, Olive Branch and Sword: The Compromise of 1833 (Baton Rouge, La., 1982), 79.
68 John Randolph of Roanoke Remini, Henry Clay, 433.
69 “Help me up” Ibid.
70 the Verplanck bill came from Treasury Secretary McLane Remini, Henry Clay, 415–16. Jackson recalled the bill as a “tariff bill prepared by McLain [sic] under my view.”
71 Operating on two levels Freehling put this well. “In every confrontation, the tempestuous Westerner [Jackson] had been the iciest plotter,” Freehling wrote. “For all his image as a hothead, Jackson usually fired the second shot. He allowed the enemy to spend initial fury. He then cut aggressors down. He won the Battle of New Orleans that way, and the Bank War, and his most famous duel. The counterpunching warrior now plotted to turn the brainy Calhoun into the provocative assaulter” (Freehling, Road to Disunion, 278).
72 “I beg of you” Correspondence, V, 3.
73 “We have beat the Nullifiers” Joel Poinsett to F. Tyrell, March 25, 1833, Poinsett Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
74 “the most violent cold I ever had” PHC, VIII, 633.
75 “Keep me constantly advised” Correspondence, V, 29.
76 “the tariff was only” Correspondence, V, 72.
77 named a postmaster for New Salem David Herbert Donald, Lincoln (New York, 1995), 50.
Chapter 20: Great Is the Stake Placed in Our Hands
1 ceremonies moved indoors EDT, II, 41. The Globe said: “In consequence of the inclemency of the weather the ceremonies of the Inauguration of the President and Vice President of the United States will take place in the Hall of the House of Representatives.” See also Remini, Jackson, III, 45–46.
2 Flanked by Andrew Donelson Ibid., 41. The Globe, again: “The President took the seat of the Speaker of the House, with Mr. Van Buren on his left, and his Private Secretary, Mr. Donelson, on his right.…”
3 a much more substantive speech Messages, II, 1222–24.
4 “My experience” Ibid., 1223.
5 “Solemnly impressed” Ibid.
6 “Without union our independence” Ibid.
7 he said he longed to “foster with our brethren” Ibid., 1224.
8 “a united and happy people” Ibid.
9 once called “the prudence” Ibid., 1219.
10 Jackson’s “most fervent prayer” Ibid., 1224.
11 wore his great cloak … showed no signs of strain Remini, Jackson, III, 48.
12 took the oath again from John Marshall Smith, John Marshall: Definer of a Nation, 520.
13 the last of the chief justice’s nine inaugurations Ibid.
14 One guest, Philip Hone Remini, Jackson, III, 48.
15 sent him to bed EDT, II, 42.
16 Emily and Andrew led the White House circle Ibid.
17 as Calhoun traveled south, fast Freehling, Prelude to Civil War, 295.
18 wrote, the Clay rates Ibid., 288.
19 even James Henry Hammond “confessed that he thought” Ibid.
20 the South Carolina convention met Ibid., 296.
21 George McDuffie “very eloquently” Samuel Cram Jackson Diary, March 15, 1833, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, The University of North Carolina Library at Chapel Hill.
22 the convention nullified the Force Bill Ellis, Union at Risk, 176–77.
23 a test oath for officeholders Freehling, Prelude to Civil War, 309–22.
24 to pledge, according to one proposal Ibid., 310.
25 “We must not think of secession” Freehling, ed., The Nullification Era, 182.
26 Frustrated by Jackson’s apparent victory Freehling, Prelude to Civil War, 297.
27 “A people, owning slaves” Ibid.
28 “Let Gentlemen not be deceived” Ibid.
29 Jackson even indulged in philosophy Correspondence, V, 29.
30 Welcome family news EDT, II, 43–44.
31 born just before the presidential election Remini, Jackson, II, 380.
32 “You know I have always been” EDT, II, 43.
33 had been sick Ibid., 44.
34 “Washington will be very dull” Emily Donelson to Mary Donelson, April 22, 1833, Mrs. John Lawrence Merritt Collection.
Chapter 21: My Mind Is Made Up
1 a steamboat excursion Andrew Donelson to Stockley Donelson, May 9, 1833, Donelson Family Private Collection, Cleveland Hall, Nashville. My account of the episode is drawn from this previously unpublished letter of Andrew Donelson’s. See also Parton, Life, III, 486–89, and Remini, Jackson, III, 60–62. Jackson described the incident in a letter to Van Buren (Correspondence, V, 74).
2 a disturbed former navy officer, Robert B. Randolph Cole, A Jackson Man, 135–37; 181.
3 as though to assault him Andrew Donelson to Stockley Donelson, May 9, 1833, Donelson Family Private Collection, Cleveland Hall, Nashville. Donelson called it a “brutal attempt by Randolph to insult the President.”
4 Andrew Donelson lunged to protect Jackson Ibid.
5 who was not armed Ibid.
6 Randolph bloodied Jackson’s face Parton, Life, III, 487, and Remini, Jackson, III, 61.
7 the president’s stare stopped the assailant Andrew Donelson to Stockley Donelson, May 9, 1833, Donelson Family Private Collection, Cleveland Hall, Nashville.
8 “The object of the attack” Ibid.
9 Washington Irving happened to be in Fredericksburg Irving, Letters, II, 762.
10 “It is a brutal transaction” Ibid.
11 An admirer of the president’s from Alexandria Parton, Life, III, 487–88.
12 “No, sir, I cannot do that” Ibid., 488.
13 He told Van Buren Correspondence, V, 74.
14 “a military guard around the President” Remini, Jackson, III, 61.
15 Randolph was a figure Cole, A Jackson Man, 135–37; 181.
16 the seas were rough Parton, Life, III, 492–93.
17 deposits remained in the Bank Remini, Jackson, III, 52–54.
18 “The hydra of corruption” Ibid., 52.
19 The vote came after the House Ibid., 53.
20 “Biddle is actually using” Parton, Life, III, 500.
21 “the damned bank ought to be put down” Ibid., 503.
22 Jackson a
greed with his editor Ibid., 500.
23 Blair then canvassed Ibid.
24 “that the withdrawal” Ibid.
25 Kendall and Van Buren had a tense conversation AAK, 376.
26 “the parties separated” Ibid.
27 “Oh, my mind is made up” Parton, Life, III, 500.
28 “Let the removal” AAK, 376.
29 Hearing that Kendall was to “take charge” Samuel D. Ingham to Samuel McKean, May 27, 1831, Samuel D. Ingham Papers, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, University of Pennsylvania.
30 William J. Duane Remini, Jackson, III, 57–59. Jackson told Van Buren that the idea of appointing Duane had “flashed into [his] mind.” Remini remarked that it was a “great misfortune that he did not suppress it on the spot” (ibid., 57–58). See also Parton, Life, III, 508–12.
31 A Philadelphian, the son Ibid., 58.
32 Jackson apparently never asked him This is the clear implication of Duane’s own narrative of events (Parton, Life, III, 512–13).
33 By law the Treasury secretary David P. Currie, The Constitution in Congress: Democrats and Whigs, 1829–1861 (Chicago, 2005), 67–68.
34 visited at his lodgings by Reuben Whitney Parton, Life, III, 512–13.
35 a merchant and former Bank official Cole, Presidency of Andrew Jackson, 190. Whitney, Cole wrote, “had worked for the Bank but had deserted to the Jackson administration early in the Bank War.”
36 Whitney undertook to explain Parton, Life, III, 512–13.
37 “He stated that” Ibid., 512.
38 Duane complained to Louis McLane Ibid.
39 Duane was correct and cool Ibid., 513.
40 Duane went to the White House Ibid.
41 “I had heard rumors” Parton, Life, III, 513–14.
42 more thoughts from the road Ibid., 513.
43 “reflect with a view to the public good” Ibid.
Chapter 22: He Appeared to Feel as a Father
1 “Uncle’s health is as usual” Emily Donelson to Mary Donelson, April 22, 1833, Mrs. John Lawrence Merritt Collection.
2 Rising early Correspondence, V, 106.
3 “I want relaxation” Ibid. On the question of the deposits, Jackson wrote: “This is the only difficulty I see now in our way. I must meet it fearlessly as soon as I can digest [sic] a system that will insure a solvent currency and a sure system for the fiscal operations of the government” (ibid., 106–7).
4 parents in the Northeast sometimes invoked Josiah Quincy, Figures of the Past from the Leaves of Old Journals (Boston, 1883), 363. Jackson may have been a popular bogyman, but Quincy admitted admiration for the general. “The name of Andrew Jackson was, indeed, one to frighten naughty children with,” he wrote, “but the person who went by it wrought a mysterious charm upon old and young.”
5 a New England Sunday school teacher EDT, II, 46.
6 he sat in candlelight after dinner Correspondence, V, 109. The letter was written from Philadelphia on June 10, 1833.
7 returned to his lodgings Ibid. This account came from New York, dated June 14, 1833.
8 “I have witnessed” Ibid.
9 In Boston thousands of children EDT, II, 50.
10 the only sounds were “shouts” Ibid. Donelson also wrote from Boston: “One of the most striking differences in the character of this population compared with ours in the South and West is its order and habitual respect for those in authority.”
11 The sun was so hot Correspondence, V, 109.
12 wadding from a cannon nearly singed his hair Parton, Life, III, 490.
13 a low-lying bridge EDT, II, 47.
14 “The smile—the grace” Remini, Jackson, III, 74.
15 a steamboat trip to Staten Island Parton, Life, III, 490–91.
16 There was some confusion Ibid., 491.
17 On Wednesday, June 26, 1833 “Visit of the President to Harvard University,” Boston Courier, June 27, 1833.
18 standing on Bunker Hill Remini, Jackson, III, 79–80.
19 “It is with great difficulty” EDT, II, 50.
20 sardonically called “this magnificent tour” Remini, Jackson, III, 83.
21 “Now, Doctor” Parton, Life, III, 489.
22 some feared for his life EDT, II, 51. John Quincy Adams was less generous about the news of Jackson’s poor health. “I believe much of his debility is politic.… He is so ravenous of notoriety that he craves the sympathy for sickness as a portion of his glory” (Memoirs of JQA, IX, 5).
23 laurels of the journey “proved the increase” Sir Charles Vaughan to Viscount Palmerston, July 4, 1833, National Archives of the United Kingdom, Kew.
24 “The friends of the President” Ibid.
25 “were more like the homage” Remini, Jackson, III, 83.
26 a long paper Correspondence, V, 113–28.
27 accompanied by a letter Ibid., 111–13.
28 “the gamblers” Nicholas Biddle to Robert Lenox, July 30, 1833, Nicholas Biddle Papers, LOC. During Jackson’s trip, men including Blair and Kendall, Duane recalled, “called on me, and made many of the identical observations in the identical language used by [Jackson] himself. They represented Congress as corruptible, and the new members as in need of especial guidance.” They spoke in tactical political terms. “They pointed out the importance of a test question, at the opening of the new Congress, for party purposes,” Duane said. “They argued that the exercise of the veto power must be secured; that it could be in no other way so effectually attained as by at once removing the deposits; and that, unless they were removed, the President would be thwarted by Congress” (Parton, Life, III, 514).
29 Duane replied to Jackson on Wednesday, July 10 Parton, Life, III, 520.
30 “Legislators alone” Ibid., 519.
31 Jackson asked Duane to call Ibid., 518.
32 “we did not understand each other” Ibid.
33 “My object, sir, is to save the country” Ibid.
34 “I wish to wait a little while” Nicholas Biddle to Robert Lenox, July 30, 1833, Nicholas Biddle Papers, LOC.
35 Kendall and Donelson were dispatched Cheathem, Old Hickory’s Nephew, 97.
36 “They tell me the state banks” AAK, 378.
37 “Send me to ask them” Ibid.
38 a long debate with Duane Parton, Life, III, 520–23.
39 said that he would resign Ibid., 522.
40 whiled away the hours with Blair FPB, 81–82.
41 “My dear Mary” Correspondence, V, 158.
42 Jackson said that he was struck as David Ibid., 143.
43 from Psalm Sixty-eight The lines read: “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation” (Psalm 68:5, King James Version).
44 “Mr. Blair,” Jackson told his editor FPB, 82.
Chapter 23: The People, Sir, Are with Me
1 The Cabinet gathered at the White House Parton, Life, III, 524.
2 Kendall had returned Cole, A Jackson Man, 187. Of forty-seven banks, Kendall recommended seven: one in Maryland, one in Philadelphia, three in New York, and two in Boston. “The selections were a triumph for party patronage,” Cole wrote. “Five of the banks were ‘friendly’ Democratic banks, and the other two … ‘liberal’ opposition banks. All seven had important party connections.…”
3 as though he feared Parton, Life, III, 524–25.
4 “How shall we answer to God” Ibid.
5 the Globe singled Duane out Ibid., 526.
6 denied any involvement Ibid.
7 “It is impossible to describe” Ibid.
8 the mission to Russia Ibid., 530.
9 Duane chose not to take it Ibid. Jackson was gloomy. “Would to God I could return from here to private life,” he wrote Mary Coffee on September 15, 1833. But he would not bend in the meantime (Correspondence, V, 188).
10 “It is known” Correspondence, V, 189.
11 The Cabinet met again Parton, Life, III, 527.
12 a manuscript in Andrew Donelson’s hand Corre
spondence, V, 192.
13 “The divine right of kings” Ibid., 193–94.
14 the paper was revised (by Taney) and read aloud (by Donelson) Ibid., 192.
15 it was drier For the full final text, see Messages, II, 1224–38.
16 “the object avowed” Ibid., 1225–26.
17 As the session broke up Parton, Life, III, 528.
18 he needed one more day Ibid.
19 news of Jackson’s decision to remove the deposits Ibid.
20 “Then I suppose” Ibid., 529.
21 Duane would not resign Ibid., 530–31.
22 Jackson fired him Correspondence, V, 206.
23 Writing to Van Buren Ibid., 206–7.
24 “conduct has been such” Ibid., 206.
25 was to begin in a week’s time Cole, A Jackson Man, 189.
26 Biddle held a board meeting in Philadelphia Remini, Andrew Jackson and the Bank War, 126–28.
27 call in loans and restrict credit Remini, Jackson, III, 108. See also Parton, Life, III, 533–34; Cole, Presidency of Andrew Jackson, 198–99.
28 “The ties of party allegiance” Remini, Andrew Jackson and the Bank War, 126–27.
29 New York business was “really” Remini, Jackson, III, 111.
30 (and would be) Cole, Presidency of Andrew Jackson, 209.
31 raised objection after objection Parton, Life, III, 505–6.
32 Lewis broke the silence Ibid., 506–7.
33 As lawmakers traveled Ibid., 537–61. See also Remini, Jackson, III, 111–15.
34 petition after petition Parton, Life, III, 545.
35 One day Jackson was seated at a table Ibid., 549–50.
36 “Excuse me a moment” Ibid.
37 “Well, sir” Ibid.
38 “Didn’t I manage them well?” Ibid., 550.
39 “Go home, gentlemen, and tell the Bank” James, TLOAJ, 661–62.
40 “may as well send at once” Correspondence of Nicholas Biddle, 222.
41 took to referring to himself in the third person Parton, Life, III, 551–52.
42 “Well, what do you want?” James, TLOAJ, 661–62. All of the details of the proceedings in the following paragraphs come from this source.
43 wrote of “the violent withdrawal of public funds” Louis Sérurier to Paris, June 18, 1834, Correspondence politique: Etats-Unis: vol. 1834, 174–75, Archives de la Ministère des Affaires Étrangères.