The Franklin Mint History Of The United States, 1776-1973
Manufacturer
The Franklin Mint
DateNo Date
MediumSilver
DimensionsOverall: 1 3/4 in. (45 mm.)
ClassificationsDecorative arts
Credit LineGift of Dr. Eugene F. Poutasse
Object number76.81.54
On View
Not on viewThe 1829 medal: Andrew Jackson Becomes President
The election of Andrew Jackson as President in 1828 and his subsequent inauguration on March 4, 1829 was "different." It was one of the most bitter political campaigns in American history. Where all the previous Presidents had been from Virginia or Massachusetts, Jackson was from Tennessee. The people of the South and what was then the West considered him as their own. At last the people had spoken with a decisive vote and they would be heard.
On the 1829 medal, Jackson is shown making a stop and addressing his followers while enroute to Washington. The inauguration itself was a mob scene. Very few ever heard his speech. At the reception afterward, nothing could contain the thousands who were there. Those who were in the White House couldn't get out and those who were out couldn't get in. People stood on the furniture in muddy boots, china and glassware were smashed, and it seemed the White House would be wrecked. In spite of the scene, most people welcomed it as a fresh breath of true democracy. Not all. Anne Royall wrote "If I am ever caught in such another crowd, while I live, it will be an accident."
