Jackson's First Inauguration

Arrangements for the Inauguration,
February 2, 1829
Holograph letter with printed emendations
Manuscript Division (83.6)

The 1829 and 1833 inaugural speeches made by Andrew Jackson were brief and to the point. They belie the tumultuous character of his two administrations in which the questions of nullification (i.e. permitting states to nullify federal legislation), a national bank, the "spoils" system, a democratic party representative of the "people," and "kitchen cabinet" advisors came to the fore. Jackson's 1829 inaugural was the first in which the "people" played a significant role and which they attended en masse.