Document 9.4 General Jackson Slaying the Many Headed Monster, 1836

General Jackson Slaying the Many Headed Monster, 1836

Few issues exposed the differences between the Democrats and the National Republicans more clearly than the battle over the national bank. This political cartoon depicts President Andrew Jackson, holding a cane marked “Veto,” with his ally Vice President Martin Van Buren and a character named Major Jack Downing. The three attempt to slay “the many headed monster.” The American humorist Seba Smith created the fictional Downing to represent a provincial Maine “down-easterner” who used a very broad dialect. He was presented as a close chum of Andrew Jackson to satirize the goings-on in Washington. The hydra features the faces of Nicholas Biddle, the president of the Bank of the United States, and other men who represent the banks of the various states. Biddle wears a hat that says “Penn” and “$35,000,000,” which refers to the state of Pennsylvania’s effort to recharter the BUS in defiance of Jackson’s efforts to destroy it.

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Private Collection/Peter Newark American Pictures/The Bridgeman Art Library
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