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VOICE ONE:

THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English by theVoice of America.

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The presidential election campaignof eighteen-twenty-eight was bitter and vicious. The old RepublicanParty of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe had splitinto two opposing groups. One group was led by President John QuincyAdams and Secretary of State Henry Clay. It called itself theNational Republican Party. The other group was led by General AndrewJackson. It called itself the Democratic Party.

VOICE TWO:

Each party had its own newspapers. In Washington, the "DailyNational Journal" supported President Adams. The "United StatesTelegraph" supported General Jackson. The Telegraph publishedcharges against the administration made by congressional Democrats.The Journal, in turn, published a pamphlet that had been usedagainst Jackson earlier. Among other things, the pamphlet chargedthat Jackson had fought a man, chased him away like a dog, and thentook his wife. The charge was not true. This is the story. It isimportant, because it had a great effect on Andrew Jackson for therest of his life.

VOICE ONE:

Jackson met the young woman, Rachel, at her mother's home nearNashville, Tennessee. At the time, Rachel and her husband, LewisRobards, were living there. They were having marriage problems.Robards argued with his wife about Jackson. He said she and Jacksonseemed too close. Jackson was advised to leave, and he agreed to go.Before he left, he met with Robards. Robards reportedly wanted tofight Jackson with his fists. Jackson refused to fist-fight. But, hesaid he would face Robards in a duel, if Robards wished to fightlike a gentleman. Robards rejected the invitation, and nothing morehappened between the two men. Jackson left.

VOICE TWO:

Robards and Rachel settled their differences. She went back totheir home in Kentucky, but did not stay long. They had anotherdispute, and she left. Court records say she left with a man --Andrew Jackson. Rachel's family had heard how unhappy she was withRobards, and had asked Jackson to bring her back to Tennessee.Robards followed them. Rachel told him she wanted a divorce. Robardsthreatened her. He said he would carry her away by force if she didnot go back to Kentucky. Rachel decided to flee. She would go withsome traders to Natchez, in the Mississippi territory. It would be adangerous trip down the Cumberland, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers.

VOICE ONE:

Jackson was troubled. He feltbadly, because he had been the cause of Rachel's unhappiness. Bynow, Rachel meant much to Jackson. He had fallen in love with her.When the traders asked him to go to Natchez, he agreed. The groupleft early in seventeen-ninety-one. A few weeks earlier, LewisRobards had begun preparations for a divorce. He did not completethe necessary action, however. Yet he led Rachel's family to believethat he had. . . That the two of them were no longer married.Jackson returned to Nashville after several months. He asked forpermission to marry Rachel, now that she was free of Robards.Rachel's mother gave her permission.

VOICE TWO:

Andrew Jackson and Rachel were married in August,seventeen-ninety-one. Both were twenty-four years old. They remainedin Tennessee. The next two years were busy ones for Jackson. As ayoung lawyer, he worked hard and traveled far. In December,seventeen-ninety-three, he discovered court papers showing thatLewis Robards had only recently divorced Rachel. This meant that atthe time Jackson and Rachel were married, she was still legallymarried to Robards. Jackson was shocked. As soon as possible, he andRachel were married again -- legally this time.

VOICE ONE:

Almost ten years passed. Jackson was a judge and took part inTennessee politics. One day, Jackson met the state's governoroutside the court house in Knoxville. The governor was telling alarge crowd about his great services to the state. Jackson felt itnecessary to say that he, too, had done some public services."Services," shouted the governor. "I know of no great service youhave done the country except taking a trip to Natchez with anotherman's wife!" Jackson's eyes grew as cold as ice. The governor pulledhis sword. "Great God!" cried Jackson. "Do you speak her sacredname." He jumped at the governor with a stick. The two men wereseparated. A few years later, Jackson killed a man in a duel, afterthe other man made a joke -- while drunk -- about Jackson'smarriage.

VOICE TWO:

As a candidate for president, Jackson could not take to thedueling field to defend his wife's honor. He wanted to. But he knewit would prevent him from being elected. Jackson asked a specialcommittee of citizens to investigate his marriage and make a publicreport. The committee found that Jackson and Rachel got married onlyafter they believed her first husband had divorced her. As soon asthe mistake was discovered, they were married again, legally. Thereport said they were not at fault.

VOICE ONE:

The pro-Jackson newspaper in Washington published the committee'sreport. But anti-Jackson newspapers did not. They insulted him andhis wife. General Jackson struggled to control his anger. "How hardit is," he said, "to keep myself away from these villains. I havemade many sacrifices for my country. But being unable to punishthose who lie about my wife is a sacrifice too great to bear."Anti-Jackson newspapers continued to print vicious lies about him.And the pro-Jackson newspapers began to print vicious lies aboutPesident Adams and his wife.

VOICE TWO:

All during the bitter campaign, neither candidate said anythingabout one very important issue: slavery. Adams did not want to losewhat little support he had in the south and west by denouncingslavery. Jackson did not want to lose the support of someRepublicans in the north by openly defending it. Adams's silence didnot mean that he approved of slavery. Southerners were sure that heopposed it. And Jackson did not have to tell the south what hethought about slavery. He was a slave owner, and had bought and soldslaves all his life.

VOICE ONE:

There was another important difference between the two men andtheir political parties. President Adams and the Republicansrepresented the interests of those who owned property. Many of thepresident's supporters felt that wealthy, property-owning citizensshould control the government. They feared popular rule, orgovernment elected by all the people. Jackson and the Democratsrepresented the interests of common men. They did not feel that therich had more right to govern than the poor. They believed in thedemocratic right of all men to share equally in the government.

VOICE TWO:

The election was held in different states on different daysbetween October thirty-first and November fifth,eighteen-twenty-eight. In two states -- South Carolina and Delaware-- the legislature chose the presidential electors. In all the otherstates, the electors were chosen by the voters. When the electoralvotes were counted, Jackson received one-hundred seventy-eight.Adams received only eighty-three. It was a great victory forJackson.

VOICE ONE:

His wife, however, was troubled. She was a simple, kind woman wholoved her husband. "For Mr. Jackson's sake," she wrote, "I am glad.For my own part, I never wished it." She knew, of course, of thecharges made during the campaign about their marriage. Her couragesupported her. But when the excitement of the election had ended,she lost her energy. And her health became worse. Someone proposedthat Rachel Jackson stay in Tennessee until her health becamebetter. Then she could join her husband at the White House inWashington. Rachel did not want to go to Washington. But she feltthat her place was with her husband. That will be our story nextweek.

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VOICE TWO:

You have been listening to the Special English program, THEMAKING OF A NATION. Your narrators were Sarah Long and Steve Ember.Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. THE MAKING OF A NATIONcan be heard Thursdays.