Linda Przygodski - Andrew Jackson: A Biography

The fiery eyes peering from the front of the twenty-dollar bill belong to the first president who wouldve passed one of the major litmus tests for anyone running for President of the United States today. Andrew Jackson was the ultimate man of the people, and the guy you wanted to have a beer with. He was the first common man who ascended to the highest office in the land. He was an Everyman who achieved greatness and received his share of scorn for a life and presidency that was anything but ordinary and certainly never dull.

The nickname Old Hickory explains much about Jackson, who was born in South Carolina in 1767. Old Hickory was tough and aggressive, a person who wasnt allowed to be a kid for very long because his father died before he was born and he joined the army as a teenager after his mother passed. He went off to fight the Revolutionary War and later became Americas greatest military hero of the era. He fell madly in love, only to watch his beloved wife die before he was elected as the 7th President of the United States in 1828. His presidency was filled with upheaval and controversy, and he survived the first assassination attempt against a U.S. president.

Thats just scratching the surface of Andrew Jacksons life and impact on the United States. Some historians view Jackson as one of the best presidents the U. S. has ever had. Others see him as a dictator and one of the worst American leaders . Jackson believed in a strong presidency and expanded the power of the office, leading critics to dub him a tyrant. For instance, he vetoed 12 pieces of legislation, more than the first six presidents combined.

Still, he never wavered in his effort to be a man of the people, sometimes to a fault. Too often, he made decisions strictly based on polls, which did not yield the result of making him more popular. But Andrew Jackson didnt know any other way than to try to stand up for the little guy, because, essentially, thats who he was.

Andrew Jackson and the United States of America were basically born and raised at the same time. He certainly did not have a smooth or easy childhood, as his parents were Irish immigrants who settled in South Carolina. There is some debate as to whether Jackson was born in North Carolina or South Carolina because the colony borders in some regions at the time were sketchy at best. It has also been debated that Jackson began telling people he was born in South Carolina when it gave him a political advantage while he was running for president.

Jacksons father, also named Andrew, was killed in a logging accident just weeks before he was born, on March 15, 1767. He was raised by his mother, Elizabeth as the American colonies were on a collision course toward fighting for their independence from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence was signed when Jackson was just 9 years old, and the document and the cause behind the Revolution were guiding influences in his life.

From the start, Jackson had a keen interest in the revolution and what would become the Revolutionary war. The war was rough on the Jackson family and shaped Andrews view of the British for the rest of his life.

One of Jacksons older brothers, Hugh, was killed in battle in 1779. His other older brother, Robert, joined the army, which prompted Jackson to join the Continental Army at age 13. He worked as a courier during the war.

In 1881, Robert and young Andrew were captured by the British and endured both humiliation and pain. Andrew was slashed on his hand by the sword of a British officer. Though they were eventually released, the brothers both contracted smallpox during their captivity. A short time after their release, Robert died from the affliction.

The Revolutionary War was not done causing pain in the Jackson family. Andrews mother decided to get involved as a nurse and went to Charleston, South Carolina, to help care for sick and wounded American prisoners of war. But there was a cholera outbreak that took her life, leaving Andrew Jackson without an immediate family at the age of 14.

He spent the next several years living with relatives and furthering his education. He and his new country were young but already had a lifetime of experience.

With the war over and the newly minted country taking its first steps, Jackson was unsure what he wanted to do with his life. He worked as an apprentice for a saddle maker, but the profession didnt spark his interest. He became a school teacher for awhile, but it didnt prove to be a satisfying career.

At the age of 17 in 1784, with his family gone, Jackson moved to Salisbury, North Carolina to study law. This decision would set him on his way toward entering politics and eventually becoming the President of the United States.

Jackson didnt have much of a formal education, a fact he would later use to push his common man credentials on the political stump, but it took him only three years to learn the law well enough to be admitted to the North Carolina Bar in late 1787.

Jacksons political life began almost immediately when he was named as the prosecutor of the Superior Court in Nashville, Tennessee. At the time, Tennessee was not yet a state and still a territory of North Carolina.

Jackson was working as a lawyer in Nashville when Tennessee was admitted as the 16th state in the union in 1796. Jackson was an important political figure in Nashville and Tennessees first person elected to Congress. A year later, he was elected as a U.S. Senator and served one session. He also served as a judge on the Tennessee Supreme Court.

It would seem Jackson was ready to continue down the political road for the rest of his life. Perhaps he could have, but duty called, and Jackson once again went off to war.

As far as accomplishments, its tough to top being twice elected as President of the United States. But long before Andrew Jackson would achieve that lofty status, he was best known was perhaps the countrys greatest war hero .

While serving in public life during his time in Tennessee, Jackson also continued his military career that began during the Revolutionary War. In 1802, Jackson was elected as the major general of the Tennessee militia, a role he served for 10 years. This service led to Jacksons promotion to major general of the regular United States Army at the outset of the War of 1812.

His years of service and promotions set the stage for Jackson to become nationally famous and, eventually, vaulted him to the height of power. The vehicle for Jacksons meteoric rise to American legend was the War of 1812 . He was already an accomplished man by the time this war began, but his military performance in the War of 1812 made Jackson a national celebrity.

The war was a long time coming, and, on a basic level, finally broke out because Great Britain attempted to restrict trade relations between the United States and France. Once again, Jacksons old foe, the British, were waiting across the battle lines. Naturally, he was quick to join the fight.

When the United States declared war on Britain, Jackson offered his services and those of the 2,500 Tennessee soldiers in his command. He and his army were ordered to New Orleans, but on the trip, government plans changed and the march was called off. Jackson was told to dismiss his soldiers without pay, but out of loyalty, and anger, he refused to leave them. He led them back home, going through the same harsh conditions as his men. His toughness on the march earned him the nickname of Old Hickory.

Jackson and his men were called into action again in 1814, and this time there was no false start. Red Stick Creeks, a Native American tribe, attacked Fort Mims in the Alabama Territory. Jackson led his forces, along with a group of rival Native Americans, into a battle with the Creeks. It was called the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and was a total rout in favor of Jackson and his troops. According to some reports, more Native Americans were killed on that day than on any day in United States history.