Token opposing President Andrew Jackson and his monetary policy, subsequent to his veto of the bill to recharter the United States Bank, c. 1834. Copper. DeWitt CE 1834-9. Low 8.
Around, PERISH CREDIT. PERISH COMMERCE. 1834., enclosing above, MY VICTORY; below, DOWN WITH THE BANK; running boar to left, inscribed MY THIRD HEAT. Rev. Around, MY SUBSTITUTE FOR THE U.S. BANK, enclosing military bust of Jackson inscribed, MY; below, EXPERIMENT/ MY CURRECY/ MY GLORY.
Few presidential vetoes have caused as much controversy as the one Andrew Jackson sent to Congress on July 10, 1832. The veto of the bill to recharter the United States Bank was prelude to a conflict over fiscal policy that continued through Jackson's second term and climaxed during the mid-term elections of 1834. The controversy created the background for the issuance of clothing buttons, ribbons and a great many tokens by the Whig opposition. The latter first appeared in city elections in New York, then in state and congressional elections.
J. Doyle DeWitt, in American Political Badges and Medalets, writes: "Many of the tokens...bore coarse and critical allusions to Jackson through the device of a jackass, a hog and legends which continually repeated the word MY." The Whigs accused Jackson of seeking dictatorial power by taking personal control of government assets.
These tokens represent some of the first examples of dirty politicking in America. We offer a choice example.
