Rachel's Death | Andrew Mourns| Retaliation
Nashville Mourns | Obituaries | Her Memory Honored

Rachel Jackson died a month after Andrew Jackson was elected President. What should have been a time of celebration became a time of mourning.

Cause of Death
It has been suggested that Rachel died due to a massive heart attack caused by the stresses from the dirty campaign of 1828 and by her heightened anxiety over the imminent move to Washington. However, the true cause of Rachel's death is not known.

Response
Andrew's response to Rachel's death was one of shock, devastation, and perpetual mourning. He believed adamantly that his political enemies had precipitated her death. Once he took office, he sought retaliation for his loss.

The public response to her death was equally overwhelming. The Nashville community went into deep mourning. Nationally, Mrs. Jackson's death received great attention, reported in newspapers across the country. Yet, even in her death her name was still slandered in some obituaries.

A Shrine to Her Memory
But her devoted husband made sure her memory would be honored in the most grand and poetic way. He built a shrine to her, placed it in her beloved garden, and planted weeping willow trees around it to do all the weeping. On her tombstone are inscribed the words he felt captured her essence and deserved to be her lasting memory.