Andrew Jackson
1829 - 1837
Seventh President
Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767 in Waxhaws, South Carolina. The Waxhaw settlement is very close to North Carolina. So historian aren't completely sure he wasn't born in North Carolina. He is the only President that the state of his birth is in question.
Andrew's father died before Andrew was born. When he was born his mother named him after his father (Andrew). When Andrew's father died the pall barriers drank some whiskey. The coffin fell off the wagon and no one noticed. They had trace their way back to where the coffin was and bring it to the grave site.
He was the first president born in a log cabin.
He was born before the United States was a nation. He was born to immigrant parents. Jackson was the only first generation American to become President.
President Jackson was one of six Presidents born in a log cabin. He was the first born in a log cabin.
Historian can't agree if he was born in North or South Carolina.
Jackson was 6' tall.
Andrew Jackson was a Presbyterian.
At the age of 13, he joined the Army to fight in the Revolutionary War.
President Jackson was the only President who served in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. He was the last president elected who served in the Revolutionary War. (See President's Military Service.)
He and his brother were capture by the British in the Revolutionary War. A British Officer ordered Andrew to clean his boots. Andrew refused so the soldier cut his face with his sword.
His mother died when he was 14. He had never seen his father and was an orphan at 14.
When he was 21 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee.
In February of of 1796 he became Tennessee's first U.S. Congressman.
After one battle, he adopted an orphan boy who was found in the arms of his dead mother. He felt the Indian boy would be a good playmate for his son Andrew Jackson Jr.
In 1821, President Monroe sent Jackson to Florida. His job was to oversee the transfer of Florida to the United States.
Jackson enjoyed eating pancakes.
He studied to be a lawyer in North Carolina. He was a lawyer by trade.
At one time he owned traded, and sold slaves. When he ran for president he tried to hide the fact that he traded slaves.
Statue of Andrew Jackson.
Jackson later traveled to Tennessee to live. His met his wife Rachel Donelson.
Jackson was a delegate to the constitution writing of Tennessee. He later became Tennessee's first representative to congress at the age of 30. He also served as a Senator and a justice on Tennessee's Supreme Court.
1802, he won an election as a major general in command of the Tennessee militia. He didn't fight a battle until 1814, It was the battle of Horseshoe Bend. He later became a Major General in the U.S. Army.
Davy Crockett and Sam Houston served under Jackson.
In 1804, he and Rachael began building a mansion in Tennessee. I named it the Hermitage. It is located near Nashville, Tn. You can learn more about his home at http://thehermitage.com/
In 1823, people did not campaign to be president. So Jackson wrote a letter that was intended to be printed. He said that the Presidential Campaign wasn't his idea and that he had not sought the nomination. But if the American people wanted him as President he would serve.
In the Election of 1824 Jackson had more votes for president than any of the other candidates.
Vote Totals:
- Andrew Jackson 154,00
- John Quincy Adams 109,000
- Henry Clay and Crawford share 47,000 apiece.
The final vote went to the Electoral College who voted by state. Some states gave all their electoral votes to the candidate who won the popular vote. Others states split the votes by the percentage of the popular vote.
Clay gave his votes to Adams. Adams then won the electoral votes and the presidency. Adams then appointed Henry Clay his Secretary of States. Andrew Jackson and his supporters were very mad and called Clay's action the "Corrupt Bargain."
Jackson ran again for President in 1828 and became President in 1829. He was sworn in on March 4, 1829.
Tragedy struck the Jackson household just before he was to leave for Washington, DC to be sworn in as President. Shortly after 9:00 PM on Monday, December 22, 1828 Jackson's wife Rachel died. She had been sick for only five days. She died of a heart attack.
Inauguration
- Jackson met with 15 soldiers from the Revolutionary War. They then insisted on walking to the Capitol with him.
- At 12:00 the procession to the east portico started.
- 15,00 people greeted Jackson and 24 cannons gave salute.
- Supreme Court Justice Marshall administered the oath.
- After he was sworn in he kissed the Bible that had been used in the oath.
- A large crowd followed Jackson to the White House for the reception.
- One of the most spoken reports of the day was the mob that arrived at the White House.
Jackson was the first President since Jefferson to not hold the position of Secretary of State before becoming the President.
John Calhoun served as Jackson's Vice President.
Andrew Jackson was the first President to ride on a railroad train(1833). He rode on a Baltimore and Ohio train from Ellicott's Mill, MD to Baltimore a distance of 12 miles. (John Quincy had also taken that train, but not while he was President.)
Jackson was the first president to have a cabinet appointment rejected by the Senate. He had recommended Roger Taney to be Secretary of the Treasury.
The issues of the day were taxes, removal of Native Americans to west of the Mississippi and slavery.
His slogan was "Let the people rule."
Jackson didn't read a lot of books. However, he loved reading newspapers. At one point, he subscripted to 17 newspapers. He saved most of the newspapers He often would have a year of newspaper bound into a book so he could save them.
Jackson vetoed as more bills than the first six presidents combined.
Tennessee became known as the Volunteer state after Jackson gave a speech that got 3,000 volunteers to enlist in the Tennessee militia to fight against the Indians.
President Jackson was one of three presidents to have adopted children.
Andrew Jackson was involved in many duels. In 1806, in a duel against Charles Dickinson over some unflattering remarks made about Jackson's wife, Jackson was wounded. He then fired, killing Dickinson. The bullet that wounded Jackson was lodged near his heart and could not be safely removed. He carried that bullet in his chest for the rest of his life.
For a number of years he carried two bullets in his body.
In 1828, Jackson made one of the first campaign tours. He traveled to New Orleans to campaign for president.
Martin VanBuran organized and let Jackson's campaign for president.
John Calhoun - Andrew Jackson's VP, resigned in 1832 to accept election to the Senate. He was one of two Vice Presidents to resign. (See Ford). From (1832-1833) Andrew Jackson didn't have a Vice President.
When John Quincy Adams lost to Andrew Jackson in the election of 1828, the town of Adams, New Hampshire, changed its name to Jackson. The town had been named in 1800 to honor the election of John Adams.
At the party after the inauguration, Jackson served a 1,400 pound cheese that was sent to him. So much cheese fell on the carpets that the smell lasted for weeks.
One of Jackson's first priorities after taking office was the removal of "Indians" from the area of white people along the Mississippi River.
On the night of his inauguration the White House was so crowed that he stayed in a hotel.
Andrew Jackson bought 20 spittoons for the East Room for $12.50 each. Some said it was a great waste of government money while others said it would save the White House carpets. He also purchase a piano.
Running water and indoor bathrooms were added to the White House during his term in office.
Andrew Jackson advisors were known as the "Kitchen Cabinet." He formed this group because his official cabinet members argued so much.
Lewis Cass, former Governor of Michigan was his Secretary of War. (Since I am from Michigan I had to add that.)
On June 6, 1833, Jackson became the first President to ride on a train. He went from Ellicontt City, Maryland to Baltimore, Maryland.
He raised 11 children, none of them his own.
Jackson told his doctor that he would do anything the doctor wanted, but he would not give up coffee and tobacco.
Andrew had a pet parrot named Poll. The parrot screamed curse words at his funeral and had to be removed.
In 1835, Jackson was the first and only president to pay off the national debt.
On May 6, 1833 while on a steamboat trip to Fredericksburg, Virginia a former navy officer attacked President Jackson. He didn't have a weapon but did draw blood during his attack. It was the first time an American President had been assaulted or involved in an assassination attempt. Jackson turned on his attacker and beat him with his cane.
During his term some Native Americans were moved from Florida to reservations in Oklahoma. Jackson supported Georgia in their effort to move the Cherokees from their land. This was a harsh move for those tribes.
His picture is on the $20.00 bill.
Andrew Jackson was also the first President to almost be assassinated (More information on this assignation attempt). While he was at a funeral, Richard Lawrence took out a pistol and shot at him at point-blank range. The gun misfired. Just the cap fired. He took out another one, and it too misfired. Jackson then tackled the man to the ground. Later they tested the guns and they fired correctly every time. Some of his supporters said the "God protected Democrats."
On the last day of the presidency, Jackson admitted that he had but two regrets, that he had been unable to shoot Henry Clay or to hang John C. Calhoun.
Jackson worked to have Martin Van Buren elected and also James Polk. Both of them owed part of their political career to Jackson. Polk was often referred to as Young Hickory.
Jackson was having health problems when he turned 73. (Harrison became president that month.) He was taking medicine called Matchless Sanative. It made him feel better. At time some patent medicines might have included alcohol, opium, cocaine or other drugs that we legal at that time.
When Sam Houston heard Jackson might die he immediately left to see Jackson on more time. The trip took two days. Sadly he was two hours late. He took his son Sam Jr. to his bedside and said "My son try to remember that you have looked on the face of Andrew Jackson.
Andrew Jackson died on June 8, 1845. He was 78.
The capital of Mississippi is named after him. (Jackson, Mississippi)
Quotes from Andrew Jackson or about him.
"You are a den of vipers and thieves. I intend to rout you out, and the eternal God, I will rout you out." Words to a delegation of bankers, 1832.
"The poor always make the best soldiers."
When Jackson was running for President, Thomas Jefferson said; " He is one of the most unfit men I know for such a place (The White House). He has very little respect for the law or constitutions....He us a dangerous man.
Andrew Jackson promised his niece, Sarah Childress, “Daughter, I will put you in the White House if it cost me my life.” He did. She married James K. Polk.
"Heaven will be no heaven to me if I do not meet my wife there."
Books that I have read and used for this section include:
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times -Visit Amazon .com for reviews and more information. http://amzn.to/1RlSDzz
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Visit Amazon.com for reviews and more information on this book. http://amzn.to/1Q5Fj0Z
The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory See Amazon.com for reviews and more information on this book. http://amzn.to/1Q5FJ7o |
