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VOICE ONE:

THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English.

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In our last few programs of THE MAKING OF A NATION, we describedthe violence of the presidential election campaign ofeighteen-twenty-eight. It split the old Republican Party of ThomasJefferson into two hostile groups: the National Republicans of JohnQuincy Adams and the Democrats of Andrew Jackson. The election ofJackson deepened the split. It became more serious as a new disputearose over import taxes. This is what happened:

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Congress passed a bill in eighteen-twenty-eight that put hightaxes on a number of imported products. The purpose of the importtax was to protect American industries from foreign competition. Thesouth opposed the tax, because it had no industry to protect. Itschief product was cotton, which was exported to Europe. The Americanimport taxes forced European nations to put taxes on Americancotton. This meant a drop in the sale of cotton and less money forthe planters of the south. It also meant higher prices in theAmerican market for manufactured goods. South Carolina refused topay the import tax. It said the tax was not constitutional...thatthe constitution did not give the federal government the power toorder a protective tax.

VOICE ONE:

At one time, the Vice President ofthe United States -- John C. Calhoun of South Carolina -- hadbelieved in a strong central government. But he had become a strongsupporter of states' rights. Calhoun wrote a long statement againstthe import tax for the South Carolina legislature. In it, hedeveloped the idea of nullification -- cancelling federal powers. Hesaid the states had created the federal government and, therefore,the states had the greater power. He argued that the states couldreject, or nullify, any act of the central government which was notconstitutional. And, Calhoun said, the states should be the judge ofwhether an act was constitutional or not. Calhoun's idea was debatedin the Senate by Robert Hayne of South Carolina and Daniel Websterof Massachusetts. Hayne supported nullification, and Webster opposedit. Webster said Hayne was wrong in using the words "liberty first,and union afterwards." He said they could not be separated. SaidWebster: "Liberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable."

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No one really knew how PresidentAndrew Jackson felt about nullification. He made no public statementduring the debate. Leaders in South Carolina developed a plan to getthe president's support. They decided to hold a big dinner honoringthe memory of Thomas Jefferson. Jackson agreed to be at the dinner.The speeches were carefully planned. They began by praising thedemocratic ideas of Jefferson. Then speakers discussed Virginia'sopposition to the alien and sedition laws passed by the federalgovernment in seventeen-ninety-eight. Next they discussed SouthCarolina's opposition to the import tax. Finally, the speeches werefinished. It was time for toasts. President Jackson made the firstone. He stood up, raised his glass, and looked straight at John C.Calhoun. He waited for the cheering to stop. "Our union," he said."It must be preserved."

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Calhoun rose with the others to drink the toast. He had notexpected Jackson's opposition to nullification. His hand shook, andhe spilled some of the wine from his glass. Calhoun was called on tomake the next toast. The vice president rose slowly. "The union," hesaid, "next to our liberty, most dear." He waited a moment, thencontinued. "May we all remember that it can only be preserved byrespecting the rights of the states and by giving equally thebenefits and burdens of the union." President Jackson left a fewminutes later. Most of those at dinner left with him.

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The nation now knew how the president felt. And the people werewith him -- opposed to nullification. But the idea was not deadamong the extremists of South Carolina. They were to start moretrouble two years later. Calhoun's nullification doctrine was notthe only thing that divided Jackson and the vice president. Calhounhad led a campaign against the wife of Jackson's friend andSecretary of War, John Eaton. Three members of Jackson's cabinetsupported Calhoun. Mister Calhoun and the three cabinet wives wouldhave nothing to do with Mister Eaton. Jackson saw this as apolitical trick to try to force Eaton from the cabinet, and makeJackson look foolish at the same time.

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The hostility between Jackson and his vice president wassharpened by a letter that was written by a member of PresidentMonroe's cabinet. It told how Calhoun wanted Jackson arrested ineighteen-eighteen. The letter writer, William Crawford, was in thecabinet with Calhoun. Jackson had led a military campaign intoSpanish Florida and had hanged two British citizens. Calhounproposed during a cabinet meeting that Jackson be punished. Jacksondid not learn of this until eighteen-twenty-nine. Jackson wanted nofurther communications with Calhoun. Several attempts were made tosoften relations between Calhoun and Jackson. One of them seemed tosucceed. Jackson told Secretary of State Martin van Buren that thedispute had been settled. He said the unfriendly letters that he andCalhoun sent each other would be destroyed. And he said he wouldinvite the vice president to have dinner with him at the WhiteHouse.

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With the dispute ended, Calhoun thought he saw a way to destroyhis rival for the presidency -- Secretary of State Martin van Buren.He decided not to destroy the letters he and Jackson sent to eachother. Instead, he had a pamphlet written, using the letters. Thepamphlet also contained the statement of several persons denying theCrawford charges. And, it accused Mister van Buren of using Crawfordto try to split Jackson and Calhoun. One of Calhoun's men took acopy of the pamphlet to Secretary Eaton and asked him to show it toPresident Jackson. He told Eaton that the pamphlet would not bepublished without Jackson's approval. Eaton did not show thepamphlet to Jackson and said nothing to Calhoun's men. Calhoununderstood this silence to mean that Jackson did not object to thepamphlet. So he had it published and given to the public.

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Jackson exploded when he read it. Not only had Calhoun failed todestroy the letters, he had published them. Jackson's newspaper,"The Washington Globe," accused Calhoun of throwing a firebomb intothe party. Jackson declared that Calhoun and his supporters had cuttheir own throats. Only later did Calhoun discover what had gonewrong. Eaton had not shown the pamphlet to Jackson. He had not evenspoken to the president about it. This was Eaton's way of punishingthose who treated his wife so badly.

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Jackson continued to defend Margaret Eaton's honor. He even helda cabinet meeting on the subject. All the secretaries but John Eatonwere there. Jackson told them that he did not want to interfere intheir private lives. But, he said it seemed that their families weretrying to get others to have nothing to do with Mister Eaton. "Iwill not part with John Eaton," Jackson said. "And those of mycabinet who cannot harmonize with him had better withdraw. I mustand I will have harmony." Jackson said any insult to Eaton would bean insult to himself. Either work with Eaton or resign. There wereno resignations.

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But the problem got no better. Many people just would not acceptMargaret Eaton as their social equal. Mister van Buren saw that theproblem was hurting Jackson deeply. But he knew better than topropose to Jackson that he ask for Secretary Eaton's resignation. Healready had heard Jackson say that he would resign as presidentbefore he would desert his friend Eaton. Mister van Buren decided ona plan of action.

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VOICE TWO:

You have been listening to the Special English program, THEMAKING OF A NATION. Your narrators were stuart spencer and MauriceJoyce. Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. THE MAKING OF ANATION can be heard Thursdays.