(1767–1845). Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States, from 1829 to 1837. The presidents before him had all been wealthy statesmen from the East. Jackson, however, had grown up poor in the Western frontier. He was the first president considered a “man of the people.” At times he was so strong-willed and decisive that his enemies referred to him as King Andrew I. Jackson helped make the presidency into a powerful office. He also helped found the Democratic Party. Early lifeAndrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, probably in the Waxhaw region of South Carolina. However, some historians believe that he was born across the border in North Carolina. Jackson was the youngest child of Scots-Irish parents who had come to the United States in 1765. A few days before Jackson was born, his father died. The American Revolution swept through the area in 1780, when the British invaded the Carolinas. Jackson, then only 13 years old, joined the Carolina volunteers. He was captured by the British in 1781. Jackson's mother and two brothers died toward the end of the war. This personal tragedy turned him against Great Britain for the rest of his life. Legal career and marriageAlthough Jackson did not have much education, he decided to become a lawyer. He studied law at an office in Salisbury, North Carolina. In 1788 he took a job in the western district of North Carolina—a frontier region that would soon become the state of Tennessee. Jackson's law practice began to thrive. He won respect for his blunt fairness and his willingness to fight or duel at the drop of a hat. Jackson lived in the home of Colonel John Donelson, where he met the colonel's daughter, Mrs. Rachel Donelson Robards. Jackson married her in 1791. She had been married previously and thought that she was divorced. However, the proper papers had not been filed. The Jacksons corrected the mistake as soon as they found out about it. Nevertheless, it later became a political scandal. The Jacksons had no children. They later adopted a nephew of Rachel's and named him Andrew Jackson, Jr. Tennessee politicsPolitics had always interested Jackson. In 1796 he became a member of the group that wrote the constitution for what would be the new state of Tennessee. He was then elected as the first representative from Tennessee to the United States House of Representatives. In 1797–98 he served as a United States Senator. He became a judge of the highest court in Tennessee in 1798. Military careerThe War of 1812In 1802 Jackson was appointed major general of the Tennessee militia. Two years later he resigned from the court. The United States began fighting Britain in the War of 1812. Jackson's first mission was to defeat the Creek Indians, who were allies of the British. In 1814 he crushed the Creek in the battle of Horseshoe Bend, in Alabama. The victory established Old Hickory—as Jackson's troops called him—as the hero of the West. Towards the end of the war, Jackson marched his troops to New Orleans. He defeated the British army and forced them to withdraw from the city. Jackson became a national hero. FloridaA couple of years after the war, Jackson was ordered to the Alabama-Georgia region. He was supposed to defend settlers against attacks by Seminole Indians from Florida. In 1818, without orders, he pushed over the frontier into Florida, which was then a possession of Spain. There he captured the city of Pensacola and hanged two British subjects as spies. These acts could have thrown the United States into a war with both Britain and Spain. Jackson's daring made him even more popular in the West but angered the president. Road to the presidencyIn 1821 the United States acquired Florida, and Jackson was named its governor. Tired of politics, he resigned later in the year. However, in 1823 he was once more elected to the Senate. First campaignJackson's friends in Tennessee wanted him to run for president as the voice of the “common people.” In the election of 1824, Jackson won the highest number of votes but not enough votes to win outright. This meant that the House of Representatives had to choose from among the top three candidates. The House elected John Quincy Adams as president. Second campaignJackson decided to run for the presidency again in 1828. After a fierce campaign, he defeated Adams. John C. Calhoun was reelected as vice-president. Jackson became the first president from west of the Appalachian Mountains. He also became the first president to be elected without the support of an organized political party. However, Jackson's election was marked by tragedy. Jackson's enemies had criticized his wife for marrying him before her divorce was official. Rachel Jackson was deeply troubled by the public attacks on her character. About a month after the election, she died of a heart attack. PresidencyFirst termJackson became president on March 4, 1829. He had no personal experience in handling foreign affairs. Jackson relied on the advice of some of the journalists and politicians who had helped elect him. This informal group came to be known as his “kitchen cabinet.” He also replaced many government workers with his supporters. Under Jackson's strong leadership and popularity, his supporters began to organize into a new political party. The group later became the Democratic Party. Second termWhen Jackson ran for reelection, he took a strong position against the powerful Bank of the United States. Many farmers and poor people hated the bank. They thought it protected the interests of only wealthy Easterners. Jackson easily won the election in 1832. Martin Van Buren, a close adviser to Jackson, became vice-president. Jackson believed that the president was directly responsible for the nation's good. When he did not agree with Congress, he freely used his right to veto, or overturn, their decisions. One of his most controversial decisions involved a conflict in Georgia. The state passed a law to forcibly take away lands owned by the Cherokee and other Native Americans. The United States Supreme Court ruled against Georgia, but the state disobeyed. Jackson chose not to back the decision of the Court, and the Native Americans were forced to leave. Later lifeAfter his second term ended in 1837, Jackson retired. He moved back to his home, the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tennessee. He health had been poor for years. He became sicker, but he continued to take a keen interest in public affairs. Jackson died at his home on June 8, 1845. |