Download This Sample
This sample is exclusively for KidsKonnect members!
To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup for free (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download!
Sign Me Up
Table of Contents
Rachel Jackson, Andrew Jackson’s wife and the First Lady to support the seventh president of the United States, was especially valued by Andrew despite their marriage of controversy, which had been the weapon of some political critics attacking him.
See the fact file below for more information on the Rachel Jackson or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Rachel Jackson worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
EARLY LIFE
- Rachel, born to Rachel Stockley Donelson and Colonel John Donelson, was born in Virginia on June 15, 1767.
- Rachel enjoyed an outstanding education for a woman living on the border.
- As a member of the influential Virginia family, she met George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, future presidents of the United States, in her youth.
- When Rachel was 13, she accompanied her family on a 1,000-mile (1,600-km) four-month trek across the Cherokee nation to the Tennessee border, where the family stayed briefly before moving to Kentucky.
- Rachel was considered to be a fun, vibrant young woman. When she was 17, she met Lewis Robards, whom she married on March 1, 1785.
- The couple parted in 1788, after many attempts at reconciliation due to the man’s abusiveness and pathological jealousy.
- Rachel was convinced to abandon him permanently in 1790, and with the help of the young lawyer Andrew Jackson, she was able to move to Natchez, Mississippi.
- In 1790, Robards asked the Kentucky legislature to authorize him to obtain a divorce on the grounds of desertion. Hearing mistakenly that Robards had divorced her, Rachel married Andrew in 1791. Robards learned about it and divorced her in September 1793 on the grounds of adultery.
EARLY YEARS OF MARRIAGE
- For the second time, Rachel married Andrew Jackson in January 1794.
- In 1804, the Jacksons relocated to the newly constructed Hermitage, a plantation near Nashville, Tennessee, and adopted one of their nephews because they had no child of their own.
- Andrew was said to have threatened Robards with abuse for slandering Rachel.
- During Andrew’s constant absences, which his military and political occupations required, Rachel was primarily responsible for maintaining the plantation.
- A deeply devout woman who at the doctor’s instructions, smoked a corncob pipe as a supposed treatment for shortness of breath, was found unsophisticated and uneducated by the people.
- The target of the relentless ludicrous and malicious rumors by Andrew’s political opponents, Rachel was identified by one newspaper as a “fat dumpling.”
- In 1806, Andrew was said to have killed another man in a duel for questioning Rachel’s reputation.
ATTACKS IN POLITICS
- During Andrew’s presidential campaign in 1824 and 1828, his critics circulated lies about Rachel’s first marriage, claiming that Andrew was an adulterer and that Rachel was a bigamist.
- Disreputable attacks were also directed at Andrew’s mother, who was labeled a “common prostitute.”
- Rachel prepared to move to Washington, D.C., following Andrew’s election victory in 1828.
- She said she would much rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God instead of living in the palace in Washington, D.C., where people kept on hitting her reputation.
- Two months before her husband’s presidency began, Rachel wore a white dress she had bought for her husband’s inauguration ceremony.
DEATH
- Rachel Jackson died due to heart attack on December 22, 1828, at the age of 61.
- She was buried on the premises of the Hermitage on Christmas Eve, wearing what was to be her inaugural gown.
- The President-elect Jackson was persuaded that the burden of personal assaults on her reputation was ultimately responsible for her death.
- Later, he constructed a concrete temple made of limestone depicting a Greek-style gazebo over her grave.
Rachel Jackson Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Rachel Jackson across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Rachel Jackson worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Rachel Jackson, Andrew Jackson’s wife and the First Lady to support the seventh president of the United States, who was especially valued by Andrew despite their marriage of controversy, which had been the weapon of some political critics attacking him.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Rachel Jackson Facts
- Jum-bulary Words
- “Rachel” and “Jackson”
- Life Line
- Your View on Marriage
- Controversial Blanks
- Jacks-on the News
- Crossword Puzzle
- Robards Vs Jackson
- Cause & Effect
- Tragic Gown
Link/cite this page
If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.
Link will appear as Rachel Jackson Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 26, 2021
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.