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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845 to Benjamin F. Butler

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05271 Author/Creator: Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845 Place Written: Hermitage, Tennessee Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1844/02/22 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket : free frank Height: 25 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

Thanks Butler, who in 1815 defended Jackson's actions at New Orleans. Says that no matter how the Senate rules he knows the measures he took were necessary and that "I acted in the defence of New Orleans with the purest principles of a patriot." Relates his poor health and confidence that Van Buren will be the Democratic Nominee for President. When Jackson was defending the city of New Orleans he imposed martial law, ignored habeas corpus, executed deserters, and suspended the state legislature, actions for which Judge Hall fined him $1,000. The Louisiana legislature chose to refund the fine, a measure which they were debating at the time of the letter. Van Buren unexpectedly lost the Democratic nomination to Polk.

Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845
Butler, Benjamin Franklin, 1795-1858

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