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VOICE ONE:

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

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As we reported in our last program, Andrew Jackson becamepresident of the United States in March, eighteen-twenty-nine.Thousands of his supporters came to Washington to see him sworn-in.Many were there, however, only to get a government job. Theyexpected President Jackson to turn out all the government workerswho did not support him in the election. The Jackson people wantedthose jobs for themselves.

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Most of the jobs were in the Post Office Department, headed byPostmaster General John McLean. McLean told Jackson that if he hadto remove postmasters who took part in the election, he would removethose who worked for Jackson...as well as those who worked for there-election of President John Quincy Adams. Jackson removed McLeanas Postmaster General. William Barry of Kentucky was named to theposition. Barry was willing to give jobs to Jackson's supporters.But he, too, refused to take jobs from people who had done nothingwrong.

VOICE ONE:

Many government workers had heldtheir jobs for a long time. Some of them did very little work. Somewere just too old. A few were drunk most of the time. And some wereeven found to have stolen money from the government. These were thepeople President Jackson wanted to remove. And he learned it wasdifficult for him to take a job away from someone who really neededit.

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One old man came to Jackson from Albany, New York. He toldJackson he was postmaster in that city. He said the politicianswanted to take his job. The old man said he had no other way to makea living. When the president did not answer, the old man began totake off his coat. "I am going to show you my wounds," he said. "Igot them fighting the British with General George Washington duringthe war for independence." The next day, a New York congressman tookPresident Jackson a list of names of government workers who were tobe removed. The name of the old man from Albany was on the list. Hehad not voted for Jackson. "By the eternal!" shouted Jackson. "Iwill not remove that old man. Do you know he carries a pound ofBritish lead in his body?"

VOICE ONE:

The job of another old soldier was threatened. The man had alarge family and no other job. He had lost a leg on the battlefieldduring the war for independence. He had not voted for Jackson,either. But that did not seem to matter to the president. "If helost a leg fighting for his country," Jackson said, "that is voteenough for me. He will keep his job." Jackson's supporters whofailed to get the jobs they expected had to return home.

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Next, the president had to dealwith a split that developed between himself and Vice President JohnC. Calhoun. The trouble grew out of a problem in the cabinet. Threeof the cabinet members were supporters and friends of Calhoun. Thesewere Treasury Secretary Samuel Ingham, Attorney General JohnBerrien, and Navy Secretary John Branch. A fourth member of thecabinet, Secretary of State Martin van Buren, opposed Calhoun. Thefifth member of the cabinet was Jackson's close friend, John Eaton.Eaton had been married a few months before Jackson became president.Stories said he and the young woman had lived together before theywere married. Vice President Calhoun tried to use the issue to forceEaton from the cabinet. He started a personal campaign againstMister Eaton. Calhoun's wife, and the wives of his three men in thecabinet, refused to have anything to do with her. This madePresident Jackson angry, because he liked the young woman.

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The split between Jackson and Calhoun deepened over anotherissue. Jackson learned that Calhoun -- as a member of formerPresident James Monroe's cabinet -- had called for Jackson's arrest.Calhoun wanted to punish Jackson for his military campaign intoSpanish Florida in eighteen-eighteen. Another thing that pushed thetwo men apart was Calhoun's belief that the rights of the stateswere stronger than the rights of the federal government. Hisfeelings became well-known during a debate on a congressional bill.

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In eighteen-twenty-eight, Congress had passed a bill that --among other things -- put taxes on imports. The purpose of the taxwas to protect American industries. The south opposed the billmainly because it had almost no industry. It was an agriculturalarea. Import taxes would only raise the price of products the southimported. The south claimed that the import tax was notconstitutional. It said the constitution did not give the federalgovernment the right to make a protective tax. The state of SouthCarolina -- Calhoun's state -- refused to pay the import tax.Calhoun wrote a long statement defending South Carolina's action. Inthe statement, he developed what was called the "Doctrine ofNullification." This idea declared that the power of the federalgovernment was not supreme.

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Calhoun noted that the federal government was formed by anagreement among the independent states. That agreement, he said, wasthe Constitution. In it, he said, the powers of the states and thepowers of the federal government were divided. But, he said, supremepower -- sovereignty -- was not divided. Calhoun argued that supremepower belonged to the states. He said they did not surrender thispower when they ratified the Constitution. In any dispute betweenthe states and the federal government, he said, the states shoulddecide what is right. If the federal government passed a law thatwas not constitutional, then that law was null and void. It had nomeaning or power.

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Then Calhoun brought up the question of the method to decide if alaw was constitutional. He said the power to make such a decisionwas held by the states. He said the Supreme Court did not have thepower, because it was part of the federal government. Calhoun arguedthat if the federal government passed a law that any state thoughtwas not constitutional, or against its interests, that state couldtemporarily suspend the law. The other states of the union, Calhounsaid, would then be asked to decide the question of the law'sconstitutionality. If two-thirds of the states approved the law, thecomplaining state would have to accept it, or leave the union. Ifless than two-thirds of the states approved it, then the law wouldbe rejected. None of the states would have to obey it. It would benullified -- cancelled.

VOICE ONE:

The idea of nullification was debated in the Senate by DanielWebster of Massachusetts and Robert Hayne of South Carolina. Haynespoke first. He stated that there was no greater evil than givingmore power to the federal government. The major point of his speechcould be put into a few words: liberty first, union afterwards.Webster spoke next. He declared that the Constitution was not thecreature of the state governments. It was more than an agreementamong states. It was the law of the land. Supreme power was divided,Webster said, between the states and the union. The federalgovernment had received from the people the same right to govern asthe states.

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Webster declared that the states had no right to reject an act ofthe federal government and no legal right to leave the union. If adispute should develop between a state and the federal government,he said, the dispute should be settled by the Supreme Court of theUnited States. Webster said Hayne had spoken foolishly when he usedthe words: liberty first, union afterwards. They could not beseparated, Webster said. It was liberty and union, now and forever,one and inseparable.

VOICE ONE:

No one really knew how President Jackson felt about the questionof nullification. He had said nothing during the debate. Did hesupport Calhoun's idea. Or did he agree with Webster. That will beour story next week.

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VOICE TWO:

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