Jackson

and punishments, and in the divine authority of
the Old and New Testaments. A motion from
the floor proposed to insert it. The future leader
of Democracy here made his debut as a liberal.
Jackson, along with most of the prominent men
of the convention, opposed the motion, though it
passed with modifications (Journal of the Pro-
ceedings of a Convention .. . at Knoxville .. ,
for the Purpose of Forming a Constitution, ed.
1852, pp. 23-24, 29).

Under the new state government Jackson was
elected without opposition to the one seat which
Tennessee was allotted in the federal House of
Representatives. This might be taken as an in-
dication of his outstanding popularity, but it does
not appear that he was notable in that respect.
All the evidence tends to indicate that the plans
of William Blount [g.z/.], who was now sent to
the federal Senate, were responsible for the ele-
vation of Jackson. As protege of the powerful
Blount, Jackson was given many a lift along the
highroad to success. Though he did not win
laurels in Congress as an orator, he did make
himself conspicuous by voting against resolu-
tions approving Washington's administration, and
by securing compensation for militiamen who
had marched under Sevier on an Indian raid not
only unauthorized by the government but actu-
ally contrary to its orders. The latter accom-
plishment, which must have required some abil-
ity, won him a secure place in the favor of his
constituency.

In 1797 Blount was expelled from the Senate.
He and John Sevier were the leaders of rival
factions in state politics, and this reverse threat-
ened to injure not only Blount but also his entire
following. Jackson occupied an important posi-
tion in this group, and the responsibility for re-
trieving the situation devolved upon him. It was
under these circumstances that he resigned his
seat in the House and sought and secured a
place in the Senate ("Correspondence of Gen.
James Robertson," American Historical Maga-
zine, Nashville, Oct 1899, pp. 343-45). Jackson
now returned to Philadelphia, but, being greatly
involved in business difficulties, in April 1798 he
resigned for a second time a seat in the federal
legislature. He was not the kind of man to take
an interest in wordy debates and the subtleties
of political intrigue. He had a certain shrewd-
ness, but it was not of a complex type. He was
restless and vigorous and he loved action rather
than words.

In 1798, at the instance of William Blount, he
received the support of Governor Sevier and was
elected one of the superior judges of Tennessee

(Tennessee Historical Society MSS., Blount to

Jackson

Sevier, July 6,1798)- Jackson was not a learned
judge, but he was a fearless and energetic one
and no criticism has ever come upon him in con-
nection with his work in this capacity. The con-
ventional picture of the irascible soldier and self-
willed president should be tempered by recalling
this phase of his career. He seems to have had
no plans other than to live out his life as a gen-
tleman of the western border. He rode the cir-
cuit, planted cotton at "The Hermitage/' raced
horses at Clover Bottom, and talked with his
friends at the taverns in Nashville. While po-
litical office apparently held no great attraction
for him, he was keenly interested in the major-
generalship of the militia of Tennessee. This of-
fice, filled by the vote of the field officers of the
division, was, next to the governorship, the most
important in the gift of the state. In those days
militia offices were no sinecures. All able-bodied
men were liable to serve, and they were not in-
frequently called upon for active duty. Even in
times of peace, musters were often held, and the
belted and plumed officers drilled their men in
hunting shirts with much eclat In 1801 Gov-
ernor Sevier, being ineligible for a fourth suc-
cessive term, gave way to Archibald Roane, a
young lawyer who had come out to the wilder-
ness with Jackson in the early days and was of
the Blount faction. Sevier now ran against Jack-
son for the generalship, and when the vote was
found to be tied, Roane cast his deciding ballot
for his friend, Jackson, who was thus elected
(1802). Upon such slender threads does the des-
tiny of even the greatest men sometimes depend.
In 1803 Jackson supported Roane for the gov-
ernorship against Sevier, who was now eligible.
The quarrel between Sevier and Jackson, which
had begun earlier (A. V. Goodpasture, "Genesis
of the Jackson-Sevier Feud/' American Histor-
ical Magazine, Nashville, Apr. 1900, pp. 115-
23), developed into bitter enmity and all but led
to a serious personal encounter. Sevier, however,
was successful in the election and Jackson gained
no advantage. The next year he resigned his
judgeship and retired to private life except for
his military commission. But the fates were still
unkind. When Aaron Burr visited Nashville in
1806 in the interest of his well-known expedition
down the Mississippi, Jackson entertained him
at "The Hermitage" and undertook a contract to
build boats for him. When Burr was discredited,
Jackson's connection with him was used to his
disadvantage by his enemies. During the same
year he fought his famous duel with Charles
Dickinson. While severely wounded himself, he
brought down his man. Since Dickinson had

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