Gilbert (August 28, 1827) was an American man enslaved by
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
, the 7th
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
. One of the affiants in the case of his death described him as a man of "strong sense and determined character."
The man who killed him described him as "a very strong, stout man, possessed of a most violent and ungovernable temper and disposition, among many other faults."
Gilbert escaped from Jackson's plantations at least four times. In 1804,
John Coffee
John R. Coffee (June 2, 1772 – July 7, 1833) was an American planter of English descent, and a state militia brigadier general in Tennessee. He commanded troops under General Andrew Jackson during the Creek Wars (1813–14) and the Battle ...
placed a
runaway slave ad seeking his return in the newspaper:
In 1827, after Gilbert escaped once again, he was recaptured. He was to be whipped publicly as a result but was killed while resisting. Jackson fired Walton after Gilbert's death, and attempted to have him prosecuted.
However, two Tennessee grand juries declined to indict Walton for either murder or manslaughter.
Gilbert's death was a political issue in the
1828 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States from October 31 to December 2, 1828. Just as in the 1824 United States presidential election, 1824 election, President John Quincy Adams of the National R ...
;
Jackson's political opponents cited it as evidence of his cruelty.
See also
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Hannah Jackson
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Alfred Jackson (Tennessee)
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Andrew Jackson and the slave trade in the United States
References
Citations
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{{Andrew Jackson
1827 deaths
People who were enslaved by Andrew Jackson
19th-century African-American people
American rebel slaves
1780s births
Andrew Jackson administration controversies