James Jackson letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- James Jackson letters
- Date
- 1793-1804, 1850 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Jackson, James, 1757-1806
- Extent
- 0.02 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Banking law -- United States
- Governors.
- International relations
- Legislators -- United States -- Congresses.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format.
- Preferred Citation
- 61m43: [identification of item], James Jackson letters, 1793-1804, 1850, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- James Jackson, born September 21, 1757, in Devonshire, England, immigrated to Savannah, Georgia in 1772. During the American Revolutionary War, he served in the 1st Brigade Georgia Militia at the defense of Savannah, the Battle of Cowpens, and the recapture of Augusta and Savannah. After the war, he married Charlotte Young and they had five sons together. Jackson practiced law and by 1777 was elected to the state legislature. In 1789, Jackson was elected to the First United States Congress as Senator. As a Jeffersonian Republican, Jackson opposed many plans developed by Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. He also supported policies to protect slavery in the south. In 1793, Jackson resigned from Congress and returned to Georgia to overturn the Yazoo Act which had granted 35 million acres in present-day Mississippi and Alabama to four companies for $500,000. Jackson believed the deal had been corrupt and he and his supporters were successful in rescinding the act. From 1798-1801 James Jackson served as the 23rd Governor of Georgia. In 1801 Jackson was re-elected to Congress, in the House of Representatives, and served until he died in 1806.
- Sources: James Jackson, Georgia Historical Society, https://georgiahistory.com/education-outreach/online-exhibits/featured-historical-figures/additional-featured-historical-figures/james-jackson/, accessed 2020 July 16.
- Scope and Content
- The James Jackson letters (dated 1793-1804, 1850; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) consist of twenty-three holograph letters, dated 1793-1804, written by James Jackson, Georgia Congressman, United States Senator and Governor of Georgia, to Georgia politician John Milledge.
- The letters, written during Jackson's service as United States Senator and as Governor of Georgia, to a close personal and political friend are filled with comments on contemporary political events both at the state and national levels. The daily life of public servants are discussed at length in the letters. Additional topics include Indian affairs, war claims, boundary disputes, the bank of the United States, the Algeria, relations with European nations, near shipwrecks, and duels.
- The twenty-fourth letter, a message of sympathy, dated 1850, signed by J.R. Sims, came with the collection but has no apparent connection with the other letters.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Letters, 1793-1804, 1850
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
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If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
