Douglas Yacka - Who Was Andrew Jackson?

The War of 1812 was fought between the new United States and the British Empire twenty-nine years after America had won its independence. The United States declared war because the British were capturing American ships in the Atlantic Ocean and preventing trade with France. The British were also secretly assisting American Indian tribes. They were attacking American settlements that were expanding west and north into areas the British still controlled. The war lasted almost three years before a treaty was signed. The Battle of New Orleans was actually fought after the treaty, but the news had not reached New Orleans yet.

Andrew Jackson was born in what was then known as the Carolinas on March 15, 1767.

His parents were from Scotland. They had come to America in 1765 in search of a better life.

Sailing across the Atlantic was a long and dangerous trip. It took around six weeks to cross the ocean in those days. Even after Andrew Sr., Elizabeth, and their two sons, Hugh and Robert, finally landed at Philadelphia, their journey was not over. They still had to travel five hundred miles by carriage to reach the home of relatives in South Carolina. The area where they lived was called the Waxhaw settlement. There wasnt much there at that time, and most of the settlers were poor. In addition, the land was already home to Native Americans who had lived there for generations. They did not welcome these new intruders. Violence often broke out between the local Cherokee tribe and the settlers.

Andrews father built a small log cabin for his growing family. He was a farmer who struggled to keep food on the table, and often worked seven days a week. It was a very hard life. Andrew Jackson Sr. died in the winter of 1766, shortly before Andrew was born.

Now Andrews mother had to struggle on by herself, with three boys and a farm to run. She was a very serious woman. She taught her sons about the importance of hard work.