ANDREW JACKSON
The Seventh President of the United States
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States, serving from 1829 to 1837. Before becoming president, he gained national recognition as a military general and served in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. His political ideas helped shape a movement known as Jacksonian democracy.
1. Early Life and Education
Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, in the Waxhaws region, an area along the border of North and South Carolina. His parents were Scots-Irish immigrants who came to America from Ireland, in 1765, bringing their two sons with them. Jackson was born just three weeks before his father died
As a boy, Jackson received private lessons from a local clergyman, as his mother hoped he would become a minister. However, his strong will and quick temper made him unsuited to a life in the ministry.
2. Imprisonment and Family Loss
During the American Revolutionary War, Jackson and his two older brothers supported the American fight against British rule. Both of his brothers died during the war.
In 1781, when a British officer ordered him to clean his boots, Jackson refused. The officer struck him with a sword, leaving scars on his head and hand. Jackson was taken prisoner and suffered from malnutrition and smallpox while in captivity.
After his release in a prisoner exchange, his mother, Elizabeth, cared for him as he recovered. She later went to Charleston, South Carolina, to help American prisoners held aboard British ships. While caring for them, she contracted cholera and died shortly afterward.
By the age of fourteen, Jackson had lost his father, both brothers, and his mother. These tragic experiences during the Revolutionary War left a lasting mark on his life and strengthened his hostility toward the values he associated with Britain, particularly aristocracy and political privilege.
3. Early Career
After the Revolutionary War, Jackson worked as a saddler, briefly continued his education, and taught children to read and write. In 1784, he left the Waxhaws region and moved to Salisbury, North Carolina, to study law. After completing his legal training, he was admitted to the North Carolina bar in September 1787.Ā Soon afterward, Jackson secured a position as a prosecuting attorney in the western part of North Carolina, an area that would later become Tennessee. He settled in Nashville in 1788, where he built his legal career and gained influence in the growing community. He later served as attorney general of the Mero District and as a military judge-advocate.
4. Business and Political Connections
Jackson also became involved in land speculation, partnering with fellow lawyer John Overton. Their business dealt with land claims involving territory taken from Cherokee and Chickasaw lands. Jackson also participated in the slave trade, transporting enslaved people between Nashville and the Natchez District.
5. Early Political and Military Career
In 1796, Jackson participated in Tennesseeās constitutional convention as the state prepared to join the Union. That same year, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party. During his time in Congress, he opposed the Jay Treaty, criticized President George Washingtonās treatment of political opponents, and supported the use of military force to defend Tennesseeās interests against Native Americans. In 1797, the Tennessee legislature elected Jackson to the U.S. Senate. However, he resigned after only six months. In early 1798, he became a judge on the Tennessee Superior Court. In 1802, Jackson became major general of the Tennessee militia.
6. The Hermitage Plantation
In 1804, Jackson resigned as a judge after suffering major financial losses. His land investments and business ventures had nearly ruined him, forcing him to sell much of his property. He purchased a smaller plantation near Nashville, which he named the Hermitage, and focused on rebuilding his wealth through farming and trade.
Jackson expanded the plantation into a major cotton-producing estate. Like many Southern planters of his time, he relied on enslaved labor. He enslaved nine people in 1804, more than 100 by 1820, and over 150 by the time of his death in 1845. He also authorized severe punishments for enslaved people who resisted or attempted to escape.
His growing wealth in land and enslaved people helped establish Jackson among Tennesseeās most prominent families.
7. Duel with Charles Dickinson
In May 1806, Jackson fought a duel with Charles Dickinson after a dispute over a horse race. Dickinson fired first, hitting Jackson in the chest, but Jackson returned fire and killed him. The incident damaged Jacksonās reputation.
8. The Nickname āOld Hickoryā
When the War of 1812 began, Jackson offered to raise volunteers for military service. In January 1813, he assembled more than 2,000 men and received orders to march toward New Orleans. However, the expedition was canceled, and Jackson was instructed to disband his troops.
Rather than abandon his men, Jackson led them on a difficult journey back to Tennessee. His toughness and determination earned him the nickname āOld Hickory,ā which became closely associated with his public image.
9. Creek War
In 1813, Jackson led American forces in the Creek War, defeating the Red Stick Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The Treaty of Fort Jackson that followed forced the Creek people to surrender approximately 23 million acres of land.
10. Battle of New Orleans
11. The Acquisition of Florida
In 1818, Jackson invaded Spanish Florida, capturing St. Marks and occupying Pensacola. During the campaign, he ordered the execution of two British subjects accused of helping the Seminoles, creating an international controversy. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams defended Jackson, believing that the occupation of Pensacola would encourage Spain to sell Florida to the United States. Although the occupied territories were later returned to Spain, the country agreed to cede Florida to the United States under the AdamsāOnĆs Treaty of 1819.
12. The āCorrupt Bargainā
In 1822, Jackson announced his intention to run for president. His popularity as a military hero helped him gain support across the country. In the 1824 election, he received the most popular and electoral votes, but he did not win an electoral majority. The decision therefore went to the House of Representatives, which elected John Quincy Adams president. When Adams later appointed Henry Clay as secretary of state, Jacksonās supporters accused them of making a ācorrupt bargainā to secure Adamsās victory. Jackson left the Senate after the session ended and returned to Tennessee.
Jackson briefly served as Floridaās territorial governor in 1821 before returning to Tennessee. He later served again in the U.S. Senate from 1823 to 1825.
13. Presidency
In 1828, Jackson ran for president again and defeated John Quincy Adams, becoming the seventh president of the United States. He served two terms, from 1829 to 1837. In his inaugural address, he promised to respect statesā rights, respect the limits of presidential power, reform the government, and pursue a fair policy toward Native Americans.
14. Indian Removal Act
In 1830, Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, allowing the federal government to negotiate the relocation of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the eastern United States to territories west of the Mississippi River. During Jacksonās presidency, the government negotiated numerous treaties that led to the removal of approximately 70,000 Native Americans from their lands. Thousands died from disease, harsh conditions, and the hardships of forced relocation.
15. The Nullification Crisis
Jackson faced a major political crisis over tariffs that protected Northern industries but angered Southern states, especially South Carolina. The state relied heavily on agriculture and trade and argued that the tariffs made imported goods more expensive, harming its economy. South Carolina also claimed that a state could reject federal laws it considered unconstitutional. Jackson strongly opposed this claim, insisting that federal law and the Union must be preserved.
In 1832, South Carolina declared the tariffs invalid within its borders and threatened to resist federal enforcement. Jackson responded by threatening military action. The crisis ended in 1833 after Congress passed a compromise tariff that gradually reduced duties, while also authorizing federal force to enforce the law.
16. The Bank War
In 1832, Congress passed a bill to renew the Bankās charter early. Jackson vetoed the bill, arguing that the Bank gave too much power to wealthy interests. After winning re-election, he moved federal funds out of the Bank and transferred them to selected state banks. The Bank gradually lost its influence and stopped holding federal deposits by 1836. Jacksonās actions weakened the Bank, whose charter expired in 1836.
17. Panic of 1837
Land speculation, risky bank lending, and policies introduced during Jacksonās presidency contributed to financial instability. In 1837, shortly after Jackson left office, a major financial crisis known as the Panic of 1837 began. It triggered a severe economic depression that lasted until 1841.
17. The First Presidential Assassination Attempt
In January 1835, Jackson survived the first known attempt to assassinate a sitting U.S. president. As he left the Capitol, a man named Richard Lawrence fired two pistols at him, but both weapons misfired. Lawrence was later found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to an institution.
18. Slavery and Abolitionism
During Jacksonās presidency, the abolitionist movement grew, calling for an end to slavery. Jackson, who himself was a wealthy slave owner, opposed the movement, fearing that it would deepen divisions between the North and South and threaten national unity. In 1835, when abolitionists sent antislavery pamphlets to the South, Jackson supported efforts to restrict their distribution and urged Congress to prohibit materials that he believed could provoke slave rebellions.
19. Death and Legacy
Andrew Jackson passed away on June 8, 1845, at the age of 78, at his plantation, the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tennessee. His political legacy continued through Jacksonian democracy, a movement that emphasized greater political power for ordinary white men and opposition to established elites. Under his leadership, the Democratic Party emerged as a major political force, shaping American politics for generations. His portrait also appears on the United States twenty-dollar bill.
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š Andrew Jackson: Summary
- Born: March 15, 1767, in the Waxhaws region along the border of North and South Carolina.
- Early Life: Lost his father before birth and became an orphan at age 14 after losing his mother and two older brothers.
- Revolutionary War: Supported the American fight against British rule. He was captured and mistreated by a British officer and lost both brothers and his mother during the war.
- Legal Career: Studied law in North Carolina, became a lawyer in 1787, and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1788.
- Political Beginnings: Helped shape Tennesseeās state government, served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, and later became a judge.
- Plantation and Slavery: Built his wealth through land investments, business ventures, and plantation ownership. He enslaved more than 150 people by the time of his death.
- Military Career: Became a major general in the Tennessee militia in 1802. His toughness earned him the nickname āOld Hickory.ā
- Creek War: Led American forces to victory at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814, after which the Creek Nation was forced to surrender millions of acres of land.
- Battle of New Orleans: Defeated British forces on January 8, 1815, becoming a national military hero.
- Invasion of Spanish Florida: Led a military campaign in 1818 that contributed to tensions with Spain and preceded the transfer of Florida to the United States.
- Presidential Elections: Lost the 1824 presidential election to John Quincy Adams after the decision went to the House of Representatives. He defeated Adams in 1828.
- Presidency (1829ā1837): Served as the seventh president of the United States for two terms.
- Indian Removal Act: Signed the act in 1830, enabling the forced relocation of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands. Thousands died during these removals.
- Nullification Crisis: Opposed South Carolinaās attempt to reject federal tariff laws and threatened military action to preserve federal authority and the Union.
- Bank of the United States: Vetoed the bill to renew the Bankās charter in 1832 and moved government funds into selected state banks.
- Slavery and Abolition: Opposed the abolitionist movement and defended slavery, which he believed threatened national unity.
- Death: Died on June 8, 1845, at the Hermitage plantation near Nashville, Tennessee, aged 78.
- Legacy: Helped shape Jacksonian democracy, expanded political participation for ordinary white men, and strengthened the Democratic Party. His portrait appears on the U.S. twenty-dollar bill.