Original Signed Letter · Fully Framed · Full PSA Letter Included
Ralph E. W. Earl · c. 1835 · Public domain
Original Handwritten & Signed Letter · 1844
VII Seventh President of the United States
Andrew
Jackson
Original Handwritten
& Signed Letter
Dated November 30, 1844 · Written on both sides
Jackson’s defense of James K. Polk.
Comes fully framed.Includes the original full PSA Letter of Authentication.Double-sided frameMuseum glass99% UV protection
Exactly What You Receive
The original letter. Fully framed. Full PSA letter included.
- Original Andrew Jackson letter: handwritten and signed by Jackson, dated November 30, 1844; one sheet written on both sides.
- Complete professional frame: double-sided display with museum glass and 99% UV protection. The letter comes already framed.
- Original full PSA Letter of Authentication (LOA): included with the framed manuscript.
PSA certification: AS06127 · Verify directly with PSA
See the listing photographs for the actual finished frame and authentication document. The manuscript images below show the letter before framing.
The Manuscript
Two sides. One remarkable letter.
The original manuscript, entirely in Jackson’s hand, with his signature at the close.
RectoThe opening and the defense of Polk
VersoThe verdict on Abbott Lawrence, and Jackson’s signature
These images show the manuscript before framing. See the listing photographs for the finished frame, front and back.
Signature in Detail
The unmistakable final word.
Signature detail · November 30, 1844
A closer look at Jackson’s signature at the close of the letter. Detail photograph of the manuscript offered in this listing.
The Offered Piece
At a Glance Signed ByAndrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States TypeAutograph Letter Signed (ALS), entirely in Jackson’s hand DateNovember 30, 1844 RecipientWilliam Prescott SubjectDefense of President-elect James K. Polk against charges by Whig leader Abbott Lawrence FormatOne sheet, written on both sides Letter SizeApprox. 7.5 × 9.75 inches ConditionFine; small stains and minor corner loss. Please review all listing photographs for paper, ink, edges, folds, and frame condition. AuthenticationPSA; original full Letter of Authentication (LOA) included FramingComes fully and professionally framed; double-sided display with museum glass and 99% UV protection
Authentication
Full PSA Letter of Authentication Included
The framed manuscript comes with its original full PSA Letter of Authentication (LOA). Please review the listing photographs of the letter, finished frame, and PSA document.
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Original Manuscript · Professional Framing · PSA Documentation
Historical Interest
Old Hickory Defends Young Hickory
Dated November 30, 1844, this letter captures Andrew Jackson defending James K. Polk in the aftermath of the presidential election. Writing to William Prescott, Jackson rejects allegations attributed to Abbott Lawrence and invokes a statement from Gideon J. Pillow in support of Polk.
The force of Jackson’s language gives the letter its character. He calls the allegation “false & unfounded & a base calumny” and labels Lawrence one of the “Whigg Roorbacks.” This is substantive political correspondence, with named figures, a specific dispute, and Jackson’s own emphatic judgment.
Slavery and Political Reputation
The letter explicitly discusses Polk’s ownership of enslaved people and a Mississippi plantation. Jackson’s defense reflects the proslavery attitudes of its author and era. That content is central to the document’s historical significance.
The closing shifts from political anger to personal frailty: “my debility and afflictions are great, & I write with much difficulty.” It is a striking passage in a letter from the final months of Jackson’s life.
In His Own Words
Letter Transcription
Your letter of the 7th instant reached me under course of mail, and on its receipt, I sent it to Gen’l Gideon J. Pillow, Columbia Tenn. a gentleman of high standing, of long acquaintance and neighbour of Col. J. K. Polk and enclose you his statement within, for the truth of the whole I vouch, as hundreds more can do, and stand ready to do. Col. James K. Polk’s moral character stands without a single blot upon it, and unimpeachable in truth. He is one of the most humane Masters that ever owned a slave. What must the people think of Mr. Abbott Lawrence, as a man of truth, after his statement, (as conveyed in your letter before me) that Mr. Polk was an ultra slave holder, that he had recently, say within six years purchased a large plantation in the state of Mississippi, and stacked it with negroes, that he had come into it up to his ears &c. And that this was no hearsay business, for he himself knew it to be so, he knew it to be a fact.
Now my Dr. Sir, I pronounce the statement of Mr. Abbott Lawrence, as made of his own knowledge to be false & unfounded & a base calumny. Col. James K. Polk has a plantation in the State of Mississippi and worked by his family slaves as stated by Gen’l Pillow in his letter I enclose you, therefore I pronounce again the statement as made by Mr. Abbott Lawrence as a base calumny and entitles him to the unenviable title of one of the Whigg Roorbacks1 of your state. How is it to be lamented that the morals of men recently are become so corrupt, that a man of his wealth and a high standing with the Federal Coon Whiggs2 should be guilty of such vile calumny for political effect. I must close—my debility and afflictions are great, & I write with much difficulty. You are at liberty to use my letter together with Genl Pillows in any way you please.
Andrew Jackson
1 Roorback: a campaign smear, after the fictitious “Baron Roorback” travelogue circulated against Polk in 1844.
2 Federal Coon Whiggs: the raccoon was the Whig Party’s popular emblem in the 1840s, and Democrats called Whigs “Federal” to tie them to the old Federalist Party.
Transcription supplied for reading convenience. Refer to the manuscript photographs for the original text; historical language is retained.
Presentation
Framed for Viewing Both SidesIMuseum Glass
Museum glass presents the manuscript clearly within its professional frame.
II99% UV Protection
Glazing with 99% UV protection helps reduce UV exposure. Display away from direct sunlight.
IIIDouble-Sided
View the opening, continuation, and signature without removing the letter from its frame.
Ralph E. W. Earl, 1836–1837
Smithsonian American Art Museum · Public domain
The Man Behind the Manuscript
Andrew Jackson
1767–1845 / President, 1829–1837
Known as “Old Hickory,” Andrew Jackson rose from a frontier upbringing to become a Tennessee lawyer, military commander, and the seventh president of the United States. His victory over British forces at New Orleans made him a national figure.
In office, Jackson strengthened presidential power, fought the Second Bank of the United States, and confronted South Carolina over nullification. His legacy also includes slaveholding and the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which helped drive the forced displacement of Native peoples.
He retired to the Hermitage in Tennessee and died on June 8, 1845. This November 1844 letter belongs to the final months of his life.
Biographical sources: White House Historical Association; archived White House presidential biography.
Historic portraits are included for illustration and are not part of the sale. Portrait sources: Wikimedia Commons, White House Collection, and Smithsonian American Art Museum. Both portrait reproductions are public domain in the United States.History in Jackson’s Own Hand
Original handwritten and signed Andrew Jackson letter, delivered fully framed with its original full PSA Letter of Authentication. Double-sided display with museum glass and 99% UV protection.
Please review all listing photographs before purchasing
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