Introduction

Andrew Jackson made some very specific contributions over his life from his military career to his political career.

Andrew Jackson's background

Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, to Andrew and Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson who emigrated from Ireland and settled in Waxhaw, South Carolina. His father died shortly before he was born. His mother, Elizabeth, who helped care for Continental soldiers died of cholera in 1781. After her death, he went to live with two of his uncles.

During his early childhood, he was educated by private tutors. He attended academies in the Waxhaw region, but was not a serious student. At the age of 13, he served as an orderly to Col. William Richardson, was captured by the British, and put in a prison camp. Jackson bore a scar on his forehead and left hand from a sword slash suffered at the hands of an officer for refusing to clean his superior’s boots. Andrew lost both brothers, Hugh and Robert, in the American Revolution. After the war, he tried one job after another, including teaching, but had little direction. He lived with reckless abandon, squandered his money, and enjoyed horse racing and cock fighting.

In 1784, he decided to study law at Salisbury, North Carolina, and in 1787 was admitted to the bar. He moved from North Carolina to what is now Tennessee. He willingly “accepted land as payment for his services and within 10 years became one of the most important landowners in Tennessee” (Brands, 2005). He married Rachel Donelson, daughter of the co-founder of Nashville. Andrew and Rachel’s early courtship and marriage came under scrutiny as she was technically still married to a wealthy Kentucky man, Lewis Robards. The couple did not have children of their own, but adopted two children and were financial guardians to several others who were in one way or another related to the couple.

Andrew Jackson’s personality was bold, courageous and firm. He had a rough lonely childhood, which resulted in this self- made man image. “Jackson was a man without class or family, who worked his way up on his own strength and merit to become a great soldier and hold the highest public office.” Jackson was known to have an aggressive temper, strong-willed attitude that was quick to face or even seek out dangerous challenges. When Jackson became president in 1829, he brought a combative style to politics. It was this event and personal characteristics that caused the citizens to passionately love him or hate him. John Quincy Adams was Jackson’s opponent in the 1828 presidential election. Adams supporters viewed Jackson as the bastard son of a prostitute who, although was married, was also a ladies man with a violent temper. Despite this type of slander, Jackson defeated Adams by 56% of the popular vote. Jackson made great efforts to limit the power of the affluent elite. His strong belief in liberty and individualism, he worked hard to bring to life his vision of politics of opportunity for the common white man by opening land for white settlements, supporting the ideal to relocate all the eastern Indian tribes, disapproving all government-granted privileges and much more. Jackson’s political struggles led to the strengthening of the Democratic Party and to the further development of the two-party system.

Alexis DeTocqueville, Andrew Jackson as Image, Image.

www.xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/Jackson/ima.htm.

James L. Roark, Michael P. Johnson, The American Promise, A history of the United States 4th edition (2009).

(Unknown Author) Andrew Jackson, Biography from Answers.com.

www.answers.com/topic/andrew-jackson

Brands, H. W. (2005). Andrew Jackson His life and Times. New York: Doubleday.

Research done by Cynthia M. and Erica J.

Andrew Jackson. Image retrieved from http://www.sbac.edu/~palmergw/transoc&jackson.html