Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson
7th President of the United States
Term of office March 4, 1829 - March 4, 1837
Political party	Democratic
Vice Presidents	John C. Calhoun (1829-1832) None (1832-1833) Martin Van Buren (1833-1837)
Preceded by	John Quincy Adams
Succeeded by	Martin van Buren
Born	March 15, 1767 Lancaster County, South Carolina
Died	June 8, 1845 Nashville, Tennessee
Spouse	Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson
Religion	Presbyterian

Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of the United States of America, elected as a hero after his military triumphs over the Creek Indians of the Southeast and the British at New Orleans in 1815. As President (1829-1837), he destroyed the Bank of the United States, relocated the remaining southeastern Indians, and built a new political coalition, the Democratic party. A self-made man, Indian fighter, war hero and a fighter (and duelist) who believed in action instead of words, he was the iconic Western folk hero. Nicknamed "Old Hickory" by his admirers, he typified popular democracy in the "Jacksonian Age" of the 1830s and 1840s, and became the leader of Jacksonian Democracy during the Second party Sytem.

His Born near the North/South Carolina border, Jackson studied law in Salisbury, North Carolina before moving to Nashville, Tennessee. Jackson was the first elected President who was not born in Virginia or Massachusetts. He fought at an early age in the battle of Stone Ferry during the American Revolution in 1780. He later fought against the Indians, and against the British during the War of 1812.

Career

As a teenager during the American Revolution, Jackson refused an order by a British officer to polish his boots, and the officer angrily drew his sword and slashed Jackson across his hand and head with it, and imprisoned him. For the rest of his life Jackson loathed the British.

Religion

He attended a Presbyterian church from time to time, and his wife was a devout Baptist. Jackson had little sympathy for religion in the political sphere, unlike many of his opponents the Anti-Masons and Whigs, who were building poltiical coalitions using religious voting blocs during the Second Great Awakening. For example,Jackson insisted that the mail be delivered on Sundays, much to the anger of the evangelicals.

Battle of New Orleans

Jackson led a contingent of Tennessee and Kentucky sharpshooters who routed over 2,000 British troops in the Battle of New Orleans. This occurred shortly after a peace treaty had been signed by both America and Great Britain but before the news of peace had reached them. It was a great victory for Jackson and became source of enormous pride to the American public.

Presidential campaigns

His military success gave him tremendous popularity with the common man, and he ran for President in the 1824 Presidential Election. He won a plurality of the votes but no one got a majority and the election went into the House of Representatives, where they chose John Quincy Adams instead. At the next Presidential Election in 1828 Jackson defeated John Quincy Adams, and then Jackson won reelection in the 1832 Presidential Election. Jackson survived an assassination attempt in January 1835 when a deranged man fired two pistols at him at point blank range in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

Although Jackson won the 1828 election against incumbent John Quincy Adams by capturing almost 56% of the popular vote, the campaign was marked by anti-Jackson rhetoric that centered on Rachel Jackson's previous marriage to Lewis Robards and the allegedly "illicit union to Jackson"--that is, bigamy. Jackson's supporters portrayed the Robards matter as a minor legal misunderstanding. Adams's supporters saw the incident as no less than long-term adultery by Andrew Jackson and portrayed Rachel Jackson as an immoral woman, implying the political dilemma that 'a vote for Jackson was a vote for sin.' The controversy paralleled a critical development in American politics. Expansion in voter participation, the growth of state political organizations, party loyalty, and the development of local campaign papers all led to the wide dissemination of scandal and fed 'the hunger of sensationalism.' To offset this, Jackson's supporters portrayed him as a brave soldier endowed with the virtues of manhood and the frontier spirit, placing him outside the usual social constraints.

Banks

Jackson was firmly opposed to a national bank, and fought to dismantle the Second Bank of the United States. He vetoed Congress's bill to renew its charter, and began withdrawing money from it. He also created the Specie Circular, which required land bought from the government to be paid for in specie. Most historians link this to the Panic of 1837, which did not occur until after Jackson had left office.

Retirement and death

After honoring the precedent of George Washington to resign after serving two terms as President, Jackson then supported and advised many future candidates, most notably James K. Polk.

Jackson died on June 8, 1845.

Since 1928, Jackson's picture has appeared on the United States $20 bill - somewhat ironic given that Jackson opposed paper money, wanting the country to use specie (gold and silver) instead.

Quotes

• Referring to the Bible: “That book, Sir, is the Rock upon which our republic rests.”

See also

• Gallery of American Heroes