Chapters 28-29 Summary and Analysis

"The People's President, 1821-1837" opens with "Cincinnatus," an obscure and somewhat off-target reference to the Roman dictator who lays down power to return to his farm. George Washington is considered an American Cincinnatus, because he yields power after two terms. Why Washington is not an apt political precedent for Jackson is pointed out in this chapter.

Returning to the Hermitage at age 54, Jackson writes Monroe of his weariness and need to restore his fortunes. He declines a tour of the North and East to keep his name before the public. Jackson's modest cotton operation is costly to run and price fluctuations are troublesome. He owns 80 slaves, most of whom accept their lot "without complaint," for escape is nearly impossible. When one slave, Gilbert, runs away from Jackson's Alabama plantation he owns (the "Big Spring" farm) in April 1822, Jackson orders...