Jackson, Andrew. Autograph letter signed, 12 July 1827, to Ezra Stiles Ely

JACKSON, ANDREW 

AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED ("ANDREW JACKSON"), TO THE REVEREND EZRA STILES ELY, EXTOLLING THE CONSTITUTION'S GUARANTEE OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM  

Two pages (8 7/8 x 9 3/4 in.; 200 x 248 mm) on a bifolium, Hermitage [Davidson County, Tennessee], docketed on the integral blank "Andrew Jackson | Augt. 1827"; primarily marginal damp staining.

A letter from Jackson to one of his supporters, the Rev. Ezra Stiles Ely, penned in the midst of his presidential run: "...It is a source of much consolation to me, to be informed, that Pennsylvania remains firm & immovable, not withstanding all the slanders that Power, and its panders, have wickedly invented, & circulated against me—Truth is mighty and will prevail, & under this belief, I remain tranquil on my farm attending to my domestic concerns, believing that a day of retributive Justice will arrive..."

Jackson does not go on to detail the slanders against him, though they undoubtedly involved his relationship with his wife, Rachel. His opponents sought to brand the couple as adulterers. In reality, however, Jackson and Rachel had not been aware that her divorce had not yet been finalized when they married in 1791. Upon realizing the error, they remarried in 1794. 

Ezra Stiles Ely was a frequent correspondent of Jackson's, and a controversial Presbyterian minister. In the present letter Jackson exhibits a remarkable degree of restraint as he acknowledges the solidarity of the different Christian denominations, while at the same time communicating sentiments relating to a broader policy of religious freedom:   

"...Among the greatest blessings secured to us under our Constitution is the liberty of worshiping god as our conscience dictates..."