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VOICE ONE:

THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English.

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The national election ofeighteen-thirty-two put Andrew Jackson in the White House for asecond term as president. One of the major events of his second termwas the fight against the Bank of the United States. Jacksonbelieved that the bank had grown too powerful. He urged Congress notto re-new the bank's charter to do business. He also stopped puttingfederal money into the Bank of the United States. Instead, he putthis money into state banks. The head of the Bank of the UnitedStates was Nicholas Biddle.

Biddle fought with all his power to keep the bank open. Hecreated a financial panic and blamed it on President Jackson. Biddledid this by demanding immediate repayment of private loans.Businesses were in trouble without the bank's financial assistance.Workers lost their jobs. President Jackson was warned of mob action.But nothing happened. Most of the battle against the Bank of theUnited States was fought in Congress.

VOICE TWO:

Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky ledthe support for the bank. Clay was head of the opposition politicalparty, the National Republicans. Clay argued his case on the floorof the Senate for three days. He strongly urged the Senate to re-newthe bank's charter. He said:

"The country is in the middle of a revolution...not yet a bloodyrevolution. But things are happening that point to a total change ofthe pure republican character of our government. Power is beingcentered in the hands of one man." He meant President Jackson. Clayadded:

"If Congress does not act, the government will fail. And we willall die as slaves."

Clay then asked the Senate to condemn Jackson for violating theconstitution and the nation's laws. The Senate approved theresolution.

VOICE ONE:

Things went better for Jackson in the House of Representatives.James Polk defended Jackson's opposition to the bank. Polk said:

"The bank set itself up as a great, irresponsible, competingpower of the government. If the bank wins this fight, no manafterwards can expect to be elected to high office in this countrywithout first surrendering to the bank. The question is," Polk said,"if we shall have the republic without the bank or the bank withoutthe republic."

VOICE TWO

As time passed, businessmen began to see that the Bnk of theUnited States was being much tighter in its money policy than wasnecessary. They began to feel that it was Biddle -- not Jackson --who was responsible for the serious economic situation in thecountry. Biddle took no responsibility for the financial crisis. Hesaid:

"The relief must come from Congress, and Congress alone. The bankfeels no need to right the wrongs caused by these miserable people.This president thinks he is to have his way with the bank. He ismistaken."

VOICE ONE:

Biddle then made a serious mistake. e asked the governor ofPennsylvania to make a speech to the state legislature...a speechsupporting the bank. At the same time, Biddle refused to lend thestate of Pennsylvania three-hundred-thousand dollars. The governorwas furious. Instead of making a speech supporting the bank, he madeone that sharply criticized it. The upper house of the Pennsylvanialegislature agreed with the governor. Although Nicholas Biddlethreatened all sorts of action, the upper house passed a resolutionthat Congress should not give the bank a new charter.

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Two days later, the governor of New York proposed that the statesell four or five million dollars of stock for loans to help statebanks. The New York legislature approved selling even more. Thisaction would strengthen the state banks and help to break the powerof the Bank of the United States. Nicholas Biddle began to see thatthe battle was lost. He started making more loans to business. Theeconomic panic he had started slowly ended.

VOICE ONE:

Jackson's victory over the Bank of the United States was clear.Biddle started to lose the support of many members of Congress. Inthe House of Representatives, James Polk proposed four resolutionson the bank. One said the bank should not get a new charter. Thesecond resolution said government money should not be deposited inthe bank. The third said the government should continue to put itsmoney in state banks. And the fourth proposed an investigation ofthe bank and the reasons for the economic panic in the country. Allfour of these anti-bank resolutions were approved.

VOICE TWO:

One of Biddle's assistants described the feelings of bankofficials.

"This day," he said, "should be ripped from the history of ourrepublic. The president of the United States has seized the publictreasury in violation of the law of the land. And therepresentatives of the people have approved his action."

Jackson's words were shorter: "I have won a glorious triumph."

VOICE ONE:

The other major event of Andrew Jackson's second term aspresident was the situation in Texas. In an agreement with Spain ineighteen-nineteen, the United States had given up its claim toTexas. In exchange, Spain gave the United States all of Florida.

After Mexico won its independence from Spain ineighteen-twenty-one, the United States tried to buy Texas. Mexicodid not want to sell. When Andrew Jackson became president he, too,tried to buy Texas. Mexico still refused to sell.

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Texas was a rich land. But it was empty. Mexico decided to permitAmericans to build colonies in Texas. Stephen Austin formed thefirst colony in eighteen-twenty-two. Each farming family in hiscolony could have about eighty hectares of land.

Each family that wished to raise cattle could have abouttwo-thousand hectares. The settlers in Texas were able to buy theland for almost nothing. But they had to promise to join the RomanCatholic Church. They also had to promise to obey the laws ofMexico. Most of the settlers came from the states of Tennessee,Mississippi and Louisiana. Many owned slaves and brought the slaveswith them to Texas. During the eighteen-twenties, Americans pouredinto Texas for the low-priced land.

VOICE ONE:

The leader of one American colony got into trouble with theMexican government. He was ordered to leave, but refused. With thehelp of a few supporters, he seized the town of Nacogdoches. Hedeclared Texas to be an independent republic. He called it Fredonia.This man expected the other American colonists to join him againstMexico. He was wrong. Most of the colonists did not support him. Infact, some even joined the Mexican force that put down hisrebellion. The man fled back across the border into the UnitedStates.

VOICE TWO:

The rebellion failed. But it made Mexican leaders see the dangerof continuing to permit Americans to settle in Texas. The Mexicangovernment sent an official to inspect conditions along the borderwith the United States. The official reported that as he travelednorth through Texas, he saw less and less that was Mexican...andmore and more that was American.

He said there were very few Mexicans in some towns. And theseMexicans, he said, were extremely poor. He said the Americansettlers were not becoming true Mexicans. They were not speakingSpanish. They were not becoming Roman Catholics. And they were notaccepting Mexican traditions. The official said the situation inTexas could throw the whole Mexican nation into revolution. He urgedMexico to send troops to occupy Texas. That will be our story nextweek.

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VOICE ONE:

You have been listening to the Special English program, THEMAKING OF A NATION. Your narrators were Sarah Long and Bob Doughty.Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. The Voice of Americainvites you to listen to THE MAKING OF A NATION again next week atthis same time.