#98: Andrew Jackson, Joggling Boards, and a Harriet Tubman Monument Unveiling
For South Carolina history lovers far and wide! Enjoy weekly SC history and upcoming SC historical events
Welcome to the first 100 days of the South Carolina History Newsletter! My name is Kate Fowler and I live in Greenville, SC. I have a 9-5 job in marketing, and outside of work, have a deep love of history. I started this newsletter as a passion project to learn more about our beautiful state and build a community of fellow SC history lovers along the way! To establish a foundation for the newsletter and to grow my expertise on a wide variety of South Carolina historical topics, this past February I challenged myself to post 100 newsletters in 100 days. After this coming May 21st, the newsletter will become weekly. Thank you for joining the journey!
Dear reader,
Welcome to Newsletter #98 of The South Carolina History Newsletter! I’m so happy you’re here.
As always, I’d like to also extend a special welcome to the following new subscribers — woohoo! Thank you for subscribing.
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Yours truly,
Kate
(Writing from Greenville, SC)
➳ Featured SC History Event
Please enjoy our featured SC History Event below, and click here to visit my SC History Events Calendar that organizes all the upcoming SC history events I have discovered. Please let me know if you’d like to add an event to the calendar! Reply to this email or send me a note at schistorynewsletter@gmail.com.
Saturday, June 1st at 1:00 pm | “Harriet Tubman Monument Unveiling” | Tabernacle Baptist Church | Beaufort, SC | FREE
“The permanent Harriet Tubman monument will be unveiled at the historic Tabernacle Baptist Church in downtown Beaufort, SC on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. Join in this celebration for a weekend of events from May 31 - June 2 at Tabernacle Baptist, 901 Craven Street! This 14 ft statue was created by American sculptor and author, Ed Dwight! For more information regarding this weekend of celebrations, visit www.harriettubmanmonument.com!”
➳ SC History Fun Facts
I.
Did you know that Andrew Jackson’s nickname was Old Hickory?
Andrew Jackson is the only South Carolinian to serve as president of the United States.
Jackson was born in the Waxhaw settlement of Lancaster District on March 15, 1767 and was the son of Scots-Irish immigrants Andrew Jackson and Elizabeth Hutchinson. His father died just weeks before he was born, and Jackson and his siblings were raised by his mother in the home of relatives.
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The Waxhaws is an area of vague borders in the lower South Carolina Piedmont. It was named for the Waxhaws, an extinct nation of Native Americans who once lived in the area.
The Waxhaws area was settled by Scots-Irish who came from Virginia and Pennsylvania. They brought the Presbyterian faith with them.
The Jackson family was part of a large community of Scots-Irish farmers.
At age 13, Andrew joined his older brothers in the fight against the British as the Revolutionary War raged in the Carolinas. Both of Jackson’s brothers died as a result of the conflict, and Andrew was left with a scar on his head from a British officer’s sword.
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In 1784 Jackson moved to Salisbury, North Carolina to study law and passed the bar in 1787. He then moved west into what would become Tennessee.
Settling in Nashville, he quickly gained notice as a prosecutor and attorney. He fell in love with the married, but separated, Rachel Donelson Robards. The “murky circumstances over her divorce, with charges of adultery, and the subsequent marriage to Jackson on January 18, 1794, would haunt Jackson during his presidential campaigns.”
His wife’s prominent family and his own political associations fueled Jackson’s rise in politics.
He served at Tennessee’s constitutional convention in 1796 and as the state’s first U.S. Representative. He served one year in the U.S. Senate before winning election to the Tennessee Superior Court.
Many people think Andrew Jackson “fought hundreds of duels.” He did have a temper, was challenged to duels, and challenged others several times. However, only one duel resulted in shots fired — the duel in 1806, when he killed Charles Dickinson. From the Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage website:
“As Jackson maintained his reputation as being hot-tempered, a quarrel with Charles Dickinson over a horse race soon turned violent when Dickinson made rude comments about the character of Andrew’s wife, Rachel. Jackson challenged Dickinson to a duel in Kentucky to settle the matter. Dickinson, a well-known marksman, fired the first shot, wounding Jackson in the chest. Despite this, Jackson still managed to shoot and mortally wound Dickinson. After several months, Jackson recovered from his physical injuries, but his reputation was tarnished by such scandals and duels. Consequently, he retreated to The Hermitage.”
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In 1802 he won a bitter election for the prominent position of major general in the militia.
During the War of 1812, Jackson defeated the Creek Indians at Horseshoe Bend in 1814, which led to a commission as major general in the U.S. Army.
For his determination and “willingness to suffer alongside his men during the way,” his troops began to call him, and he gained his now famous nickname, “Old Hickory.”
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Ordered to New Orleans, Jackson “gathered a mixed force of irregulars to block a British attempt to seize the city. His stunning victory over British regulars made him a national icon.”
Jackson’s popularity increased when he invaded Spanish Florida in 1818 and hanged two British subjects accused of agitating Indians along the Alabama-Georgia border.
President James Monroe, Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, and the cabinet came close to disavowing Jackson’s actions before a treaty purchasing Florida from Spain ended the crisis.
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His tremendous popularity made Jackson a presidential contender.
Following a short term as territorial governor of Florida, he returned to Tennessee.
Nominated for president in 1822 with little initial support, Jackson reluctantly accepted his election by the Tennessee legislature to the U.S. Senate in 1823.
Once in Washington, Jackson spoke out against “the rampant corruption and intrigue he found there.”
In the 1824 presidential election, he received the most popular votes, but failed to gather an Electoral College majority.
The U.S. House of Representatives, with the support of Speaker Henry Clay, awarded the presidency to John Quincy Adams, who subsequently appointed Clay as Secretary of State. Jackson fumed at this “corrupt bargain” and considered it a “deliberate repudiation of the will of the people.”
Jackson resigned his Senate seat and returned to Tennessee in 1825. A coalition of anti-administration foes began to form around him and his call for reform.
An early and uneasy alliance was made with fellow South Carolinian John C. Calhoun, and Jackson agreed to finance a newspaper run by a Calhoun supporter, Duff Green.
Soon, New York’s Martin Van Buren and other prominent politicians added their organizational support to Jackson’s candidacy, forming the basis of the modern Democratic Party.
A vicious campaign ensued in 1828 fueled by “rumors regarding his marriage, but Jackson with Calhoun as his vice-presidential candidate swept to an overwhelming victory.”
Jackson advocated “limited government, payment of the national debt, removal of the Indians beyond the Mississippi, and rotation of public officials; he opposed the monopolistic power of the Second Bank of the United States.”
The Jackson administration had a troubled start. Calhoun’s “Exposition and Protest” against the Tariffs of 1824 and 1828 was published, advocating the right of nullification. Although a supporter of states’ rights, Jackson was an ardent nationalist and viewed nullification as the first step towards disunion and a repudiation of majority rule. See SC History Newsletter #91 for more background on the Nullification Crisis.
In reply to Calhoun and the growing nullification sentiment, Jackson, at the 1830 annual Jefferson Dinner declared, “Our Union: It must be preserved.”
Jackson and Calhoun’s relationship deteriorated amidst the circumstances of the Nullification Crisis, while Jackson also discovered that Calhoun, while previously serving as secretary of war, had advocated Jackson’s arrest and punishment over his invasion of Florida.
The Tariff of 1832 renewed nullification sentiment in South Carolina, despite a drop in duties. In November a South Carolina convention nullified the tariff acts and prohibited the collection of custom duties within the state.
On December 10, 1832, Jackson issued a proclamation declaring the actions “incompatible with the existence of the Union . . . and destructive of the great object for which it was formed” and asked for authorization to use force. The president’s nationalistic position galvanized support throughout the nation. A compromise tariff and the Wilkins Act, or Force Bill, were signed into law days before Jackson’s second inauguration, ending the crisis as well as the political effectiveness of the nullification threat.
In the early 1800s, American demand for Indian nations' land increased, and momentum grew to force American Indians further west. The first major step to relocate American Indians came when Congress passed, and President Andrew Jackson signed, the Indian Removal Act of May 28, 1830.
While the original intension was to remove the Cherokee in a “humane fashion,” this did not happen. During the fall and winter of 1838-39, the Cherokees were forcibly moved from their homes to the Indian Territory—some having to walk as many as 1,000 miles over a four-month period. Approximately 4,000 of 16,000 Cherokees died along the way. This sad chapter in our history is known as the "Trail of Tears."
In Jackson’s 1830 message to Congress on the topic of “Indian Removal,” he said:
“It will separate the Indians from immediate contact with settlements of whites; free them from the power of the States; enable them to pursue happiness in their own way and under their own rude institutions; will retard the progress of decay, which is lessening their numbers, and perhaps cause them gradually, under the protection of the Government and through the influence of good counsels, to cast off their savage habits and become an interesting, civilized, and Christian community.”
Andrew Jackson was a controversial figure in his time, and he continues to be today.
Even in the years before the Civil War, author James Parton penned the 3-volume book Life of Andrew Jackson (1860) in which he wrote this now famous quote describe the enigmatic politician:
“Andrew Jackson, I am given to understand, was a patriot and a traitor. He was one of the greatest of generals, and wholly ignorant of the art of war. A writer brilliant, elegant, eloquent, without being able to compose a correct sentence, or spell words of four syllables. The first of statesmen, he never devised, he never framed a measure. He was the most candid of men, and was capable of the profoundest dissimulation. A most law-defying, law-obeying citizen. A stickler for discipline, he never hesitated to disobey his superior. A democratic autocrat. An urbane savage. An atrocious saint.”
As an elite Southern planter, Jackson owned slaves. By the time he was president, he owned nearly 100 hundred slaves. An estate inventory following Jackson’s death “counted 161 slaves, split between his plantation outside of Nashville, The Hermitage, and a Mississippi plantation.”
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In the Life of Andrew Jackson book, James Parton interviewed a handful of Jackson’s slaves who said things like “He was mighty good to us all,” and “We black folks is bound to speak high for old Mawster.”
However, there were also accounts of Jackson whipping runaway slaves upon capture. In 1804, Jackson placed a newspaper advertisement describing a runaway slave named Tom Gid. He promised “ten dollars extra, for every hundred lashes any person will give him, to the amount of three hundred” if Tom were captured outside of the state.
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Leaving office in 1837, Jackson retired to the Hermitage. He died on June 8, 1845, and was buried in his garden.
In the Life of Andrew Jackson book, James Parton interviewed one of Andrew Jackson’s slaves named Hannah, who was in the room at the time of Jackson’s death. She reported his some of his last words were: “I hope to meet you all in Heaven, both black and white.” (Other witnesses in the room, including Jackson’s doctor, his niece, and his son all recorded those words or a close variation of that sentiment).
From South Carolina Encyclopedia:
“Jackson’s popularity among the masses, his strong personality and leadership, and his underappreciated political skills redefined and strengthened the presidency during his two terms. His stand against nullification forced southerners to seek other, more drastic means of redress when slavery became the main sectional issue. Jackson’s political opponents coalesced into the Whig Party and firmly established the two-party political system. His command of the Democratic Party led to Van Buren’s election as president in 1836.”
Please scroll to the bottom of this email for my source for this section
Please leave a comment below!
II.
Have you sat on a Joggling Board before?
Part children’s toy, part porch rocker, part decorative element, joggling boards have delighted Charlestonians young and old since the 1800s.
Simple in design, a joggling board consists of one plank, or seat, supported by stands at each end. The plank length varies, sometimes extending as long as 16 feet.
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Variations include joggling boards that have stands with curved bottoms resembling the rockers on a rocking chair. This allows the user to “joggle” both up and down and sway from side to side.
Made with just about any type of wood, fir and cypress are two of the more common varieties.
The joggling board is a tradition with a long history in South Carolina. While the origin of the joggling board has fallen into the murkiness of local legend, they were quite common on the coast by the 1880s.
One of the more enduring creation stories involves the Kinloch and Huger families of Acton Plantation in Sumter County.
In 1803, after the family patriarch was widowed, a sister moved to the plantation to care for the household. She suffered from severe rheumatism and the “first” joggling board was designed and built for her relief.
The popularity of the joggling board spread quickly and, while they have generally been concentrated along the coast, they were also used in other parts of the state.
Others believe the joggling board was introduced by slaves, the word “joggle” coming from the Senegalese “juga,” which means “to rise.”
One way or another, joggling boards were common in Charleston by the mid-19th century.
In the Victorian era, joggling boards were also jokingly called “courting boards,” favorite places for sweethearts to meet, with the gentleman on one end, the lady on the other. As they bounced, they’d gradually be brought closer to the middle —and each other.
Joggling boards have long been used for rocking babies. In earlier days, Gullah nurses, called “dahs,” would sit holding their charges in their arms, singing a soft lullaby as the gentle bouncing soothed the infant to sleep.
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You rarely see a joggling board that isn’t painted “Charleston Green,” so dark it almost looks black.
The board’s popularity waned during World War II, when timber became harder to obtain. Luckily, Charlestonian Thomas Thornhill revived the furnishing in the 1960s, when he started building pieces for friends in his basement, eventually establishing the still-successful Old Charleston Joggling Board Company with friend Leonard Fulghum.
Here is a fun video with the Phillips family of Charleston sharing how they use their joggling board:
Like the rocking chair, the joggling board has long been a fixture on porches in Pawleys Island, Georgetown, Charleston, and throughout the Lowcountry.
Visit the Old Charleston Joggling Board Company website here!
Please scroll to the bottom of this email for my sources for this section
Please leave a comment below!
➳ SC History Quote
“The bank, Mr. Van Buren, is trying to kill me. But I will kill it.”
—Andrew Jackson quoted in Martin Van Buren’s Autobiography
Andrew Jackson article sources:
McCawley, Patrick. “Jackson, Andrew.” South Carolina Encyclopedia, 8 June 2016, https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/jackson-andrew/#:~:text=He%20is%20the%20only%20South,during%20the%20Revolution%20to%20illnesses. Accessed 13 May 2024.
Adams, Rhett A. “Waxhaws (Region).” South Carolina Encyclopedia, 7 July 2016, https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/waxhaws-region/. Accessed 13 May 2024.
“Andrew Jackson - White House Historical Association.” WHHA (En-US), https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/andrew-jackson#:~:text=Andrew%20Jackson%20was%20born%20on,raised%20by%20their%20mother%20Elizabeth. Accessed 13 May 2024.
“Duels | Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage.” Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, https://thehermitage.com/duels#:~:text=Many%20people%20think%20Andrew%20Jackson,when%20he%20killed%20Charles%20Dickinson. Accessed 13 May 2024.
“Hannah, Andrew Jackson’s Slave.” The National Endowment for the Humanities, https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2014/marchapril/feature/hannah-andrew-jacksons-slave#:~:text=As%20an%20elite%20Southern%20planter,
from%20twenty%20to%20forty%2Dfour. Accessed 13 May 2024.“President Andrew Jackson’s Message to Congress ‘On Indian Removal’ (1830) | National Archives.” National Archives, 25 June 2021, https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/jacksons-message-to-congress-on-indian-removal. Accessed 13 May 2024.
Joggling Board article sources:
“Joggling Board.” Charleston Magazine, 30 Oct. 2013, https://charlestonmag.com/features/joggling_board. Accessed 13 May 2024.
Taylor, Saddler. “Joggling Boards.” South Carolina Encyclopedia, 8 June 2016, https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/joggling-boards/. Accessed 13 May 2024.
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I love the story of President Andrew Jackson coming to Mrs. Calhoun’s home and demanding her to invite Mrs Eaton to her parties. The incident is called the Petticoat affair. Mrs Eaton was not from proper stock as the rest of Mrs Calhoun and her friends. The group refused to recognize Mrs Eaton. Mrs Calhoun told President Jackson it wasn’t any of his business who she invited to her house or party. President Jackson was shown the way out.