Letter from James Hamilton to Martin Van Buren, March 5, 1829

Forms part of The Martin Van Buren Papers, 1787 to 1910; for additional information, see: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms001044
James Hamilton Jr. was a representative from South Carolina, whose last day in the House of Representatives was March 3, 1829. From 1830 to 1832, he was the governor of South Carolina. His correspondent, Martin Van Buren, the future president, was appointed secretary of state and minister to Great Britain during the first administration of President Jackson, and was vice president during Jackson's second term. In this letter, Mr. Hamilton describes the 1829 inaugural festivities of President Jackson as a "regular Saturnalia." The White House was destroyed by a drunken crowd of people who broke through the windows and trampled all the furnishings. The language Hamilton employs here to describe the mob may be offensive and should be considered in its historical context.
Letter from James Hamilton to Martin Van Buren, March 5, 1829.
Original document scanned in 1999-2000 for the former American Memory presentation “I Do Solemnly Swear”: Presidential Inaugurations (retired 2016).