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Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson as President

Andrew Jackson was the fifth president of the United States. Born to Irish immigrants and orphaned in the American Revolution, he built his own life. He was a war hero and a politician. His victory over the British in the War of 1812 catapulted him to national fame. After losing to John Quincy Adams in the election of 1800, he and the Democrats organized into the first modern political party. His presidency was marked by conflict with the states and the extreme growth of presidential power and popular involvement in elections, but his legacy is marred by his involvement in the Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears.

Early Life

Andrew Jackson was born to Elizabeth and Andrew Jackson on March 15, 1767, less than a month after his father's death. He learned to hate the British and stand up for himself during the Revolution. During that time, he began following Colonel Davie as a page; because of his involvement with the revolutionaries, the British captured he and his brother. A British officer asked Jackson to clean his boots and Jackson refused, drawing anger and a sword strike against his hand and head, the scars of which he carried the rest of his life. Jackson passed the bar in North Carolina and moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he met Rachel Donelson Robards, whom he married in 1781. He became relatively prosperous in Nashville, building a home with Rachel called the Hermitage.

Political Career

As a lawyer in a frontier state, Jackson was one of the most respected members of the community, and with an innate sense of the legislative structure of the government, he was an acceptable choice for political office. However, he did not want any part of politics, and was much more interested in military glory. He petitioned to be considered as commander of Tennessee's militia, a position then filled by John Sevier, a war hero from the Revolution. Jackson had no military experience, yet gained the post through personal politics and persuasion . The people then elected Jackson to the United States Senate, though he hated his time there and left prematurely to return to Tennssee.

Jackson's career did not terminate, however. He ran for President as a Jeffersonian Democrat, failing in the spectacular 1800 election. He ran again in 1804 with the first true party support, organized by Martin Van Buren, and became president with a solid victory. However, the strain from the race contributed to Rachel's decline and eventual death.