Andrew Jackson (15 March 1767 – 8 June 1845) was President of the United States from 4 March 1829 to 4 March 1837, succeeding John Quincy Adams and preceding Martin Van Buren. Jackson was a War of 1812 hero and a Tennessee senator before founding the conservative US Democratic Party, becoming the first Democratic president in 1829. During his presidency, he dismantled the national bank, implemented the Indian Removal Act, allowed for a "spoils system" to develop in US politics, and supported slavery.
Biography[]
Andrew Jackson was born in Waxhaw, North Carolina on 15 March 1767, the son of two Scots-Irish immigrants from County Antrim, Ireland. He helped the local colonial militia as a courier during the American Revolutionary War (his own brother died of heat stroke at Stono Ferry in 1779), and he was slashed across the face by a British officer's sword in 1779 when he refused to clean the officer's boots. He became an orphan at fourteen, blaming the British for the loss of his brothers and mother during the war, and he became a lawyer in 1787 before moving to Jonesborough, Tennessee. Jackson became a real estate businessman and a judge, and he became a colonel in the state militia. From 26 September 1797 to 1 April 1798, he served as a Senator from Tennessee, succeeding William Cocke and preceding Daniel Smith, serving as a Democratic-Republican Party member. In 1804, he resigned from his judgeship due to financial troubles, and he became a planter, slave owner, and merchant, acquiring the Hermitage plantation near Nashville.
War of 1812[]
Jackson in a general's uniform
In 1812, after the Shawnee chief Tecumseh provoked the Muscogee to rebel against the United States in the American South, Colonel Jackson and the Tennessee militia joined the US Army during its war with the rebellious Muscogee/Creek tribes. In 1814, he won a decisive victory over the Creeks at Horseshoe Bend in Alabama, and he was promoted to Major-General after forcing the Muscogee to surrender on 9 August. In 1815, he took over the defenses of New Orleans and defended the city from a British assault at the end of the War of 1812, and he was nicknamed "Old Hickory" for standing as firm as a tree. Jackson's 5,000 troops defeated the 7,500-strong British army of Edward Pakenham, inflicting heavy losses and saving the city from capture. Jackson would proceed to invade Spanish Florida from 1816 to 1819 to crush the Seminole Native Americans and escaped African-American slaves and destroy the Negro Fort, and he became known as a war hero (despite garnering much controversy for deposing the Spanish governor and invading Spanish territory). In 1821, he briefly served as military governor of Florida after the Adams-Onis Treaty led to Spain ceding Florida to America, as Jackson's invasion and his deposition of the Spanish governor proved that the USA could easily conquer Florida if it wanted to. From 10 March to 31 December 1821, he served as Governor of Florida, succeeding Jose Maria Coppinger and preceding William Pope Duval.
Politics[]
On 4 March 1823, Jackson was re-elected as a Senator from Tennessee, succeeding John Williams. In 1824, he was chosen to be the Democratic-Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, running against rival Democratic-Republican candidate John Quincy Adams. Jackson lost the election due to Adams' "corrupt bargain", in which Adams gave Speaker of the House Henry Clay the title of Secretary of State in exchange for Adams winning the presidency. Jackson's supporters founded the Democratic Party, and he branded himself as a conservative and pro-slavery politician, winning the support of the American South and the American West. In 1828, he won the next presidential election, defeating Adams and his National Republican Party in a landslide. He implemented a 62% tax on 92% of all imported goods, which saved northern industry and hurt southern industry; it caused Jackson's vice president John C. Calhoun and the state of South Carolina to threaten secession in 1832. Jackson had to deploy the army to South Carolina to defuse the situation, ending the "Nullification Crisis". Jackson vetoed the renewal of the charter for the Second National Bank, paid off the national debt in 1835, implemented the Indian Removal Act and the subsequent "Trail of Tears", established friendly relations with the United Kingdom, and recognized the independence of the Republic of Texas. In 1836, he backed his vice president Martin Van Buren's successful presidential campaign, and he died in Nashville in 1845 at the age of 78.
| President of the United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: John Quincy Adams |
1829 - 1837 | Succeeded by: Martin Van Buren |
| US Senator from Tennessee | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: John Williams |
1823 - 1825 | Succeeded by: Hugh Lawson White |
| Governor of Florida | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: N/A |
1821 - 1821 | Succeeded by: William Pope Duval |
| U.S Senator from Tennessee | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: William Cocke |
1797 - 1798 | Succeeded by: Daniel Smith |