Rachel Jackson

                    The woman known as Rachel Jackson was born Rachel Donelson  on June 15, 1767, in Halifax County, Virginia.  She was among the first settlers of Tennessee and was considered to be "beautiful" as a young woman and "quite vivacious."  She had an unhappy marriage in Kentucky with Captain Lewis Robards due to his irrational fits of jealous rage; she separated from him in 1790.

                    Andrew Jackson migrated to Tennessee in 1788 and boarded with Rachel's mother, Rachel Stockley Donelson.  Rachel, the daughter, apparently went home to live with her mother when she separated from her husband.  At any rate, Jackson met the beautiful Rachel, and the two of them fell in love and married in 1791.

                    The couple married on the belief that Robards had obtained a divorce.  Historians discovered that a friend of Lewis Robards had planted a fake notice in his own newspaper of the divorce being finalized.  Andrew and Rachel did not discover the problem until after they were married.  The fact that Rachel was not yet divorced made their marriage technically bigamous and invalid.  Rachel took the necessary steps to ensure that the divorce was completed - the first divorce in Kentucky history.  Then she remarried Andrew in 1794 after the divorce was finalized.  Andrew and Rachel "enjoyed a genuine love match."

                    Rachel and Andrew apparently did not have any children together but adopted three sons:  Theodore (an Indian about whom little is known), Andrew Jackson, Jr. (the son of Severn Donelson, Rachel's brother), and Lyncoya (a Creek Indian orphan adopted by Jackson after the Creek War; he died of tuberculosis in 1828 at age 16). 

                    The Jacksons were also guardians for eight other children.  Three of them - John Samuel Donelson, Daniel Smith Donelson, and Andrew Jackson Donelson - were the sons of Samuel Donelson, Rachel's brother who died in 1804.  Andrew Jackson Hutchings was Rachel's orphaned grand nephew.  Four of the children - Caroline Butler, Eliza Butler, Edward Butler, and Anthony Butler - were the orphaned children of Edward Butler, a friend of the Jacksons.

                    When Andrew Jackson ran for President in the 1828 campaign, supporters of his opponent, John Quincy Adams, accused Rachel of being a bigamist and other things.  Some historians consider the 1828 election to be "one of the most notorious in terms of campaign insults."  Since Jackson had been a popular military hero after his victory in the Battle of New Orleans (War of 1812), he won by a "comparative landslide." 

Rachel went shopping to purchase a new dress for the inauguration and dropped dead in the street.  She died of a sudden heart attack on December 22, 1828, at age 61, two weeks after the election and two months before Jackson took office as President.  Since the Adams team had repeatedly ridiculed Rachel during campaign, Andrew blamed John Quincy Adams for hastening her death and never forgave him.

Andrew was "inconsolable" at her death. "He refused to believe she was dead and insisted that blankets be laid on her body in case she woke up and needed warmth."  He built a tomb for her in her flower garden and wrote the following epitaph for her:  "Here lie the remains of Mrs. Rachel Jackson, wife of President Jackson, who died December 22nd 1828, aged 61.  Her face was fair, her person pleasing, her temper amiable, and her heart kind.  She delighted in relieving the wants of her fellow-creatures and cultivated that divine pleasure by the most liberal and unpretending methods.  To the poor she was a benefactress; to the rich she was an example; to the wretched a comforter; to the prosperous an ornament.  Her pity went hand in hand with her benevolence; and she thanked her Creator for being able to do good.  A being so gentle and so virtuous, slander might wound but could not dishonor.  Even death, when he tore her from the arms of her husband, could but transplant her to the bosom of her God."

Jackson never really recovered from losing his beloved wife.  He once said, "Heaven will be no heaven for me if she is not there."  "According to his granddaughter, Rachel Jackson Lawrence, Andrew visited Rachel's grave every night at sunset.  He placed her portrait at the foot of his bed so she would be the first thing he saw in the morning and the last thing he saw at night."  Jackson never remarried.

Greatness of Andrew Jackson

                    I have not yet decided whether we should consider Andrew Jackson to be a "great" President.  He was very polarizing, he treated the Native Americans very badly, and his enthusiastic followers created the modern Democrat Party.  What could be considered "great" about any of those facts?  The era of the Jacksonian democracy covered the period of time between 1830 and 1850. 

Jackson came from frontier Tennessee, and he was both a politician and an army general.  As a politician he reached the highest office in our nation as the seventh President of the United States.  As a general he defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1814) and the British at the Battle of New Orleans (1815).   

In my estimation, the best thing Jackson did as President was to destroy the national bank.  He was strongly against the national bank and caused its collapse by vetoing the renewal of its charter.  I consider his relocation of most of the Indian tribes from the southeast portion of the United States to west of the Mississippi River to be his worst accomplishment.  His "aggressive enforcement of the Indian Removal Act" was opposed by Whigs and moralists because it forced the relocation of thousands of Native Americans to Indian Territory (now the state of Oklahoma) along the Trail of Tears.

                    Jackson was tough and aggressive and earned the nickname of "Old Hickory."   He fought in duels, some of which ended with the death of his opponents.  He was also a rich slaveholder.

                    Andrew Jackson appealed to the common men of the United States and politically opposed what he considered to be "a closed, undemocratic aristocracy."  He is known for his protection of popular democracy and individual liberty as well as his support for states rights and a small and limited federal government.

                    You can decide for yourself if you consider him to be great.  Some Jackson quotes are as follow.  

                    "All the rights secured to the citizens under the Constitution are worth nothing, and a mere bubble, except guaranteed to them by an independent and virtuous Judiciary."

                    "Americans are not a perfect people, but we are called to a perfect mission."

                    "Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error."

                    "As long as our government is administered for the good of the people, and is regulated by their will; as long as it secures to us the rights of persons and of property, liberty of conscience and of the press, it will be worth defending."

                    "Democracy shows not only its power in reforming governments, but in regenerating a race of men and this is the greatest blessing of free governments."

                    "Every good citizen makes his country's honor his own, and cherishes it not only as precious but as sacred.  He is willing to risk his life in its defense and is conscious that he gains protection while he gives it."

                    "Fear not, the people may be deluded for a moment, but cannot be corrupted."

                    "Heaven will be no heaven to me if I do not meet my wife there."

                    "In England the judges should have independence to protect the people against the crown.  Here the judges should not be independent of the people, but be appointed for not more than seven years.  The people would always re-elect the good judges."

                    "I feel in the depths of my soul that it is the highest, most sacred, and most irreversible part of my obligation to preserve the union of these states, although it may cost me my life."

                    "I weep for the liberty of my country when I see at this early day of its successful experiment that corruption has been imputed to many members of the House of Representatives, and the rights of the people have been bartered for promises of office."

                    "Every diminution of the public burdens arising from taxation gives to individual enterprise increased power and furnishes to all the members of our happy confederacy new motives for patriotic affection and support."

The Alamo

The Alamo is a historical structure located in downtown San Antonio, Texas. During the war for Texan independence from Mexico, a famous battle was fought at the Alamo from February 23 until March 6, 1836. The Alamo is a restored historic site. Padre Antonio Olivares, a Spanish missionary, established the Alamo at San Antonio in 1718 as a Roman Catholic mission. The mission consisted of a monastery and church enclosed by high walls. The mission was first called San Antonio de Valero but was later called the Alamo, the Spanish name for the cottonwood trees surrounding the mission. Texans sometimes used the mission as a fort for protection from the Indians. The people of Texas became dissatisfied with the Mexican government and decided to cut their relations with Mexico sometime during the winter of 1835-1836. Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his troops approached San Antonio to end the move for independence by the Texans. The Mexicans' quick arrival surprised the Texans. Lieutenant Colonel William Barrett Travis with about 150 Texans tried to defend the city. Included in the defenders were Davy Crockett and James Bowie, two famous Americans. Travis sent out a plea for help. A relief party from Gonzales, Texas, increased the defenders in the Alamo to 189 after passing through the Mexican lines. Colonel J. W. Fanin left Goliad, Texas, with about 400 men but turned back to Goliad after equipment failed. The Mexicans laid a siege of the Alamo that lasted 13 days. There were 4000 Mexicans against 189 Texans. By March 5 the Texans were running low on ammunition and could not return Mexican fire. Santa Anna decided to attack the fort early the next morning by going over the walls. At the end, Texans were using their rifles as clubs. All Texan fighters either died in the battle or were executed afterwards. There were only four survivors: Susanna Dickinson, the wife of an officer; her baby; her Mexican nurse; and Colonel Travis' black slave Joe. "Remember the Alamo" became the rallying battle cry for Texans. The heroes who defended the Alamo gave General Sam Houston the time he needed to gather enough forces to save the independence movement of Texas. Houston retreated eastward, and Santa Anna pursued. At San Jacinto, Texas, on April 21, Houston turned on the Mexicans and made a surprise attack during an afternoon siesta. Houston's forces took just 18 minutes to capture or kill most of the Mexican army of more than 1200 men. Houston's troops captured Santa Anna the next day and forced him to sign a treaty giving Texans their independence. My husband and I visited the Alamo several times and were impressed with the structure. The history of the Alamo and the artifacts are very interesting and worth a visit; however, the famous memorial has become a tourist trap with all the trinkets for sale there. We enjoyed much more our trip to the location of John Wayne's movie "The Alamo" near the border with Mexico. The wide-open spaces around the fake Alamo are much more appealing to the Alamo story than the streets of San Antonio. The Texan defenders at the Alamo paid the ultimate price for independence. I encourage everyone to "Remember the Alamo" and stand tall as Americans. Independence is worth whatever price we must pay! Facts and information for this blog post came from an article by Joseph A. Stout, Jr., World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, pp 280-281,

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) was the first President to be born in a log cabin. Previous presidents were from wealthier families. Jackson was the son of poor Scotch-Irish immigrants but became an orphan at age 14. He grew up in the Carolinas but later moved to Tennessee. He became famous as an Indian fighter and as a War of 1812 general. He was known for being tough and was given the nickname of "Old Hickory." Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, in either North Carolina or South Carolina - no one knows which one. Jackson's parents were poor farmers from Northern Ireland, who sailed to America in 1765 with their two older sons, Hugh and Robert. His father built a cabin and started a farm. He died in 1767 just days before Andrew was born. Jackson had a quick temper and got in many fights. He was also a good reader. At age 9, he read the newly adopted Declaration of Independence to his neighbors. At age 11 he went to a nearby boarding school. At age 13 he and his brother Robert joined the South Carolina mounted militia. His brother Hugh died in an earlier battle. Andrew and Robert were captured by the British in April 1781. Andrew was severely cut with a sword when he refused to clean the British commander's boots. The officer forced the two Jackson boys to march 40 miles to a military prison where they caught small pox. Their mother was able to obtain their freedom during an exchange of prisoners. Robert died from the small pox, and Mrs. Jackson died soon after him. Andrew became an orphan at age 14 and was the only one of his family left living. Jackson studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1787. He served as solicitor or attorney general. He gained a large private law practice because of his success as a public defender. Jackson roomed at a boardinghouse in Nashville. There he met Mrs. Rachel Donelson Robards who was separated from her army officer husband. Believing that her husband had divorced her, she married Jackson in August 1791. They learned in December 1793 that the divorce was granted the previous September. Jackson and Rachel were remarried on January 18, 1794, in Nashville. The confusion surrounding their marriages made them targets of gossip for decades. The Jacksons had no children of their own. They adopted a four-day-old nephew of Mrs. Jackson in 1809 and named him Andrew Jackson, Jr. They also reared three other nephews of Mrs. Jackson. Jackson was a good businessman in addition to being a lawyer. He bought land at low prices and sold it for as much as thirty times the purchase price. He bought two plantations, Hunter's Hill and Hermitage. Hunter's Hill was later sold to pay debts, but the Hermitage remained his home. Jackson was a delegate at the state constitutional convention, which prepared for Tennessee's entrance into the Union. He may have be the one who suggested the name "Tennessee" for his state. Jackson was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1796 and the United States Senate in 1797 but resigned in April 1798. As a major general in the Tennessee militia, Jackson led 2500 Tennessee militiamen and offered their services to President James Madison when the War of 1812 started. While waiting for federal orders, the Tennessee governor directed him to reinforce troops in New Orleans. Jackson was in Natchez, Mississippi, when he received federal orders to demobilize his troops on the spot. Jackson was furious, refused to demobilize them and led them home through 500 miles of wilderness. Because his men considered him to be tough as hickory, he returned home to Tennessee with his famous nickname, Old Hickory. Jackson led 2000 men in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in a fight with Creek Indians. He dictated peace terms with the Creek, who gave up 23 million acres of land in present day Georgia and Alabama. The federal government commissioned Jackson a major general in the regular army and assigned him to command troops on the southern coast. On the way to New Orleans, Jackson seized Pensacola in Spanish Florida, which the British were using as a military base. When he arrived in New Orleans on December 1, 1814, he recognized that the city was defenseless. He set a furious pace putting up defenses. The British attacked at dawn on January 8, 1815, but were terribly defeated with losses of 300 men killed, 1250 wounded and 500 captured. American losses were 14 men killed, 39 wounded, and 18 captured. The victory made Jackson a hero but didn't affect the outcome of the war. A peace treaty had been signed two weeks earlier, but word didn't reach Jackson until after the battle. After the United States acquired Florida from Spain, Jackson served as the provisional governor in 1821 for a few months. Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828 in spite of his marriage to Rachel becoming a campaign issue by John Quincy Adams. Mrs. Jackson died on December 22, 1828, from a heart attack and was buried at Hermitage. Before her death she expressed her desire that her niece should manage the White House for Jackson. Jackson was swept into office with the idea of reform. He wanted to destroy what he considered to be a monopoly of federal offices by wealthy individuals. He believed that no federal employee should have a right to a lifetime job. Jackson also took on the Bank of the United States. The bank had authority over the United States currency system. Jackson disliked the bank for both economic and political reasons and considered the law establishing the bank as unconstitutional. When the bank's charter came up for renewal, Jackson vetoed the bill (1832). In 1833 he removed the government funds from the Bank of the United States. The fight over the bank occurred at the same time as the opening of the West, heavy speculation in land, and increased foreign trade. The United States government was making more money than it was spending. [Wouldn't that be a wonderful situation?] Jackson used the surplus on January 8, 1835, to pay the final installment of the national debt. He was the only President to pay off the national debt. There were lots of problems for his administration involving Indians. In 1832, settlers drove the Black Hawk Indians from Illinois. In 1835, United States troops forced the Seminole Indians to retreat to the Florida Everglades. Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836. The Battle of the Alamo, the most famous battle in the war for Texan independence, took place in 1836. Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna defeated the Texans who were defending the Alamo. Famous Americans in the Alamo were Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. Jackson thought Texas should be part of the United States but feared to recognize Texan independence. He thought it might damage Martin Van Buren's chances to become President. After Van Buren was elected, Jackson used his last day as President to establish diplomatic relations with the Republic of Texas. Jackson retired to Hermitage, white-haired and ill with tuberculosis and dropsy but still standing very much erect. He supported Van Buren's unsuccessful bid for re-election in 1840. In 1844 he supported James K. Polk in his successful bid for the presidency. Jackson died on June 8, 1845, and is buried in the garden at Hermitage beside his wife. Facts and information for this blog post are from an article written by James C. Curtis, World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 11, pp 6-14.