Presidents in Retirement: Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson's presidency ended on March 4, 1837, eleven days ahead of his 70th birthday, when his successor, Martin Van Buren, was sworn in as his successor. Jackson left Washington, D.C., three days later, beginning the long journey home, where he would retire to his plantation called "the Hermitage" in Nashville, the site of his present day Presidential Museum. He remained influential in national and state politics and leading Democrats regularly sought his advice. A national recession known as the Panic of 1837 had hit the nation, almost certainly caused by Jackson's banking policies. He had vetoed a bill to recharter the Bank of the United States, and ordered the transfer of federal monies to state banks in 1833. This caused western banks to relax their lending standards. His pressing for the Indian Removal Act made large amounts of former Native American lands available for purchase and speculation, and in 1836 his "Specie Circular" policy which mandated western lands only be purchased by money backed by specie (money in the form of coins such as gold or silver). The act was intended to stabilize the economy by reducing speculation on credit, but it caused a drain of gold and silver from the Eastern banks to the Western banks in order to address the needs of financing land transactions. Jackson had also promoted passage of the Deposit and Distribution Act, which transferred federal monies from eastern to western state banks. Together, these policies left Eastern banks unable to pay specie to the British when they recalled their loans to address their economic problems in international trade.
The panic drove the U.S. economy into a depression that lasted until 1841. To reduce the inflation caused by the Panic of 1837, Jackson supported an Independent Treasury system that would restrict the government from printing paper money and require it to hold its money in silver and gold. Jackson's economic policies turned out to be a poisoned chalice for his successor, Van Buren. During the 1840 presidential election, Jackson campaigned for Van Buren in Tennessee, but Van Buren had become too unpopular during the continuing depression. The Whig Party nominee, William Henry Harrison, won the election using a campaign style similar to that of the Democrats: Van Buren was depicted as an uncaring aristocrat, while Harrison's war record was glorified, and he was portrayed as a man of the people. Harrison won the 1840 election and the Whigs captured majorities in both houses of Congress. To add insult to injury, Jackson could not even help Van Buren carry Jackson's home state of Tennessee, which went to the Whigs.
Harrison died a month into his term, and was replaced by his vice president, former Democrat John Tyler. This made Jackson hopeful because Tyler was not bound to party loyalties. Jackson spoke out in favor of Tyler when the new President vetoed two Whig-sponsored bills to establish a new national bank in 1841. But for Tyler, having Jackson' support was not exactly a political asset at the time.
Jackson lobbied for the annexation of Texas. He was concerned that the British could use it as a base to threaten the United States and he insisted that it was part of the Louisiana Purchase. Tyler signed a treaty of annexation in April 1844, but it was not ratified in the Senate because it became associated with the expansion of slavery.
Van Buren, who had been Jackson's preferred candidate for the Democratic Party in the 1844 presidential election, broke with his mentor when he expressed his opposition to the annexation of Texas. Disappointed by Van Buren, Jackson supported the nomination of fellow Tennessean James K. Polk as the Democrats' Vice-Presidential nominee and he was delighted when, at the Democratic Party's Nominating Convention in Baltimore, Van Buren could not gain enough support to win the requisite two-thirds of voting delegates' support require for the nomination, and Polk was ultimately chosen as the party's Presidential candidate. Polk went on to win the general election against Jackson's old enemy, Henry Clay, many believe because of a split in votes in New York state, where the Liberty Party was believed to have drained off votes from the Whigs. The state proved to be the crucial one in the election and it went to Polk.
Jackson had played an important role in Polk's victory, in that he had intervened in convincing John Tyler not to run as an independent candidate (which would have taken votes from Polk) and had convinced Polk supporters not to attack Tyler while Tyler was deciding what role he would play in the election. On the other hand, Jackson lacked influence at home because once again his (and Polk's) home state of Tennessee went to the Whigs in the election of 1844.
Jackson was delighted when, just ahead of Polk's inauguration, the Senate passed a bill to annex Texas, and it was signed on March 1, 1845.
Jackson had his photo taken by Edward Anthony in 1844 or 1845, just months before his death. Anthony traveled to the Hermitage to photograph the former president in a series of daguerreotypes. Matthew Brady copied Anthony's daguerreotype and displayed it in his New York Studio. Jackson is said to have disliked the process and the finished product, claiming that the picture made him look "like a monkey."
Jackson spent his retirement in pool health. He died of dropsy, tuberculosis, and heart failure at 78 years of age on June 8, 1845. Knowing the Jackson was near the end, President Polk had planned a visit with his mentor, but he arrived in Nashville too late. Jackson died surrounded by his family, his enslaved persons, and some friends at his deathbed. His last words are said to have been, "Do not cry; I hope to meet you all in Heaven-yes, all in Heaven, white and black."
Jackson was buried in the same tomb as his wife Rachel at the Hermitage.
The panic drove the U.S. economy into a depression that lasted until 1841. To reduce the inflation caused by the Panic of 1837, Jackson supported an Independent Treasury system that would restrict the government from printing paper money and require it to hold its money in silver and gold. Jackson's economic policies turned out to be a poisoned chalice for his successor, Van Buren. During the 1840 presidential election, Jackson campaigned for Van Buren in Tennessee, but Van Buren had become too unpopular during the continuing depression. The Whig Party nominee, William Henry Harrison, won the election using a campaign style similar to that of the Democrats: Van Buren was depicted as an uncaring aristocrat, while Harrison's war record was glorified, and he was portrayed as a man of the people. Harrison won the 1840 election and the Whigs captured majorities in both houses of Congress. To add insult to injury, Jackson could not even help Van Buren carry Jackson's home state of Tennessee, which went to the Whigs.
Harrison died a month into his term, and was replaced by his vice president, former Democrat John Tyler. This made Jackson hopeful because Tyler was not bound to party loyalties. Jackson spoke out in favor of Tyler when the new President vetoed two Whig-sponsored bills to establish a new national bank in 1841. But for Tyler, having Jackson' support was not exactly a political asset at the time.
Jackson lobbied for the annexation of Texas. He was concerned that the British could use it as a base to threaten the United States and he insisted that it was part of the Louisiana Purchase. Tyler signed a treaty of annexation in April 1844, but it was not ratified in the Senate because it became associated with the expansion of slavery.
Van Buren, who had been Jackson's preferred candidate for the Democratic Party in the 1844 presidential election, broke with his mentor when he expressed his opposition to the annexation of Texas. Disappointed by Van Buren, Jackson supported the nomination of fellow Tennessean James K. Polk as the Democrats' Vice-Presidential nominee and he was delighted when, at the Democratic Party's Nominating Convention in Baltimore, Van Buren could not gain enough support to win the requisite two-thirds of voting delegates' support require for the nomination, and Polk was ultimately chosen as the party's Presidential candidate. Polk went on to win the general election against Jackson's old enemy, Henry Clay, many believe because of a split in votes in New York state, where the Liberty Party was believed to have drained off votes from the Whigs. The state proved to be the crucial one in the election and it went to Polk.
Jackson had played an important role in Polk's victory, in that he had intervened in convincing John Tyler not to run as an independent candidate (which would have taken votes from Polk) and had convinced Polk supporters not to attack Tyler while Tyler was deciding what role he would play in the election. On the other hand, Jackson lacked influence at home because once again his (and Polk's) home state of Tennessee went to the Whigs in the election of 1844.
Jackson was delighted when, just ahead of Polk's inauguration, the Senate passed a bill to annex Texas, and it was signed on March 1, 1845.
Jackson had his photo taken by Edward Anthony in 1844 or 1845, just months before his death. Anthony traveled to the Hermitage to photograph the former president in a series of daguerreotypes. Matthew Brady copied Anthony's daguerreotype and displayed it in his New York Studio. Jackson is said to have disliked the process and the finished product, claiming that the picture made him look "like a monkey."
Jackson spent his retirement in pool health. He died of dropsy, tuberculosis, and heart failure at 78 years of age on June 8, 1845. Knowing the Jackson was near the end, President Polk had planned a visit with his mentor, but he arrived in Nashville too late. Jackson died surrounded by his family, his enslaved persons, and some friends at his deathbed. His last words are said to have been, "Do not cry; I hope to meet you all in Heaven-yes, all in Heaven, white and black."
Jackson was buried in the same tomb as his wife Rachel at the Hermitage.