Free Essays on Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson Two Irish folk named Andrew and Elizabeth Jackson came to America in 1867, settling in the Waxhaw area of the North/South Carolina border. Elizabeth wouldn’t know that her child would bring fame, fortune, and great leadership to America. On March 15, 1867, their son was born; Andrew â€Å"Old Hickory† Jackson. Andrew Sr. died and left Elizabeth a widow with three young boys in poverty. As Andrew grew up, his two brothers joined the militia where they died of disease as well did his mother. He was orphaned at the age of fourteen and gradually picked up bad habits like drinking, gambling, fighting, etc. Throughout all of his traumatic past, there seemed like there was no hope until he reached the age of seventeen. Andrew went into studying law with a North Carolina lawyer and migrated west to Nashville. After Andrew moved, he became a public prosecutor and married Rachel Donelson, a wealthy family member. Andrew afterwards acquired land and slaves. He was elected to congress in 1796 after Tennessee departed from North Carolina and became the union’s sixteenth state. The following year the legislature elected Andrew as a U.S. senator which he held for only one session before resigning. After he resigned, he went back home and served as a judge on the Tennessee Supreme Court for six years. Jackson’s military career began in the Revolution. In 1802, he was elected major general of the Tennessee militia. Ten years later, he was elected major general of the U.S. forces by Wille Blount, the Tennessee governor. In 1814, Jackson suffered numerous detrimental campaigns against the Native Americans in the Creek War and was promoted to major general in the regular army. The Creek War began on August 30 of 1813 by the slaying of 250 Alabama settlers in a brutal onslaught by an Indian tribe called the Red Sticks. As a result of the attack, Jackson and 2500 manned forces were deployed to stop and punish the Indians. Jackson ... Free Essays on Andrew Jackson Free Essays on Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson EARLY LIFE Andrew Jackson was born to poor Irish immigrants on March 15, 1767, near Camden, South Carolina. His parents, Andrew and Elizabeth, and two older brothers, Hugh and Robert, had emigrated from northern Ireland in 1765. Jackson was named after his father who had died shortly before he was born and he spent his early life in the Waxhaw settlement located near the North and South Carolina border. His mother had hopes of him becoming a Presbyterian minister, but young Jackson’s pranks, cursing, and fighting quickly erased those hopes. From 1778 to 1781, the American Revolutionary War had a devastating impact on Jackson’s life. When he was thirteen, Jackson and his brothers joined the patriotic cause to fight the British. His oldest brother Hugh died of heat stroke following the Battle of Stono Ferry in 1779. In 1781, Jackson and his brother Robert were captured and both contracted smallpox in prison. Jackson’s mother arranged for their release in a prisoner exchange. Although Jackson eventually recovered, his brother died of smallpox. Jackson and his mother traveled to Charleston to aid in the war effort and she contracted cholera and died. By war’s end, Jackson was an orphan. He resided with members of his mother’s family, but soon went to Charleston and worked as a school teacher for a short period of time. Jackson was known for his fierytemper, fearlessness, playful personality, and daring spirit. At age seventeen, he moved to Salisbury, North Carolina, where he studied law. In 1787, after three years of studying, Jackson received his license to practice law in North Carolina. To supplement his income, he also worked in small-town general stores. While living in North Carolina, Jackson gained a reputation for being charismatic, wild, and ambitious. He loved to dance, entertain, gamble, and spent much of his free time with friends in taverns. Soon after... Free Essays on Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson Two Irish folk named Andrew and Elizabeth Jackson came to America in 1867, settling in the Waxhaw area of the North/South Carolina border. Elizabeth wouldn’t know that her child would bring fame, fortune, and great leadership to America. On March 15, 1867, their son was born; Andrew â€Å"Old Hickory† Jackson. Andrew Sr. died and left Elizabeth a widow with three young boys in poverty. As Andrew grew up, his two brothers joined the militia where they died of disease as well did his mother. He was orphaned at the age of fourteen and gradually picked up bad habits like drinking, gambling, fighting, etc. Throughout all of his traumatic past, there seemed like there was no hope until he reached the age of seventeen. Andrew went into studying law with a North Carolina lawyer and migrated west to Nashville. After Andrew moved, he became a public prosecutor and married Rachel Donelson, a wealthy family member. Andrew afterwards acquired land and slaves. He was elected to congress in 1796 after Tennessee departed from North Carolina and became the union’s sixteenth state. The following year the legislature elected Andrew as a U.S. senator which he held for only one session before resigning. After he resigned, he went back home and served as a judge on the Tennessee Supreme Court for six years. Jackson’s military career began in the Revolution. In 1802, he was elected major general of the Tennessee militia. Ten years later, he was elected major general of the U.S. forces by Wille Blount, the Tennessee governor. In 1814, Jackson suffered numerous detrimental campaigns against the Native Americans in the Creek War and was promoted to major general in the regular army. The Creek War began on August 30 of 1813 by the slaying of 250 Alabama settlers in a brutal onslaught by an Indian tribe called the Red Sticks. As a result of the attack, Jackson and 2500 manned forces were deployed to stop and punish the Indians. Jackson ... Free Essays on Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson became the nation’s seventh president in 1829. He made significant changes in American politics at that time. He was very popular with the people because of the fact that he was a hero of the War of 1812. He had also served in the senate and was a tough man who had manifested the spirit of the frontier. One change Jackson brought about was the steadily increasing power of the west. He happened to be the first president to come from the west of the Appalachians. Jackson was also the start of a new era of democracy in American politics. He didn’t belong to a party but rather had much popular support. Jackson supporters were poor and relatively new voters. Unlike other races (besides that of 1824) all white men were allowed to vote rather than just white male property owners. The election of Jackson in 1828 tripled the votes cast from 356,000 in 1824 to 1.1 million in 1828. Most of those new voters gave their votes to the man of the people, Jackson. The power of the voters was evident. Jackson had won 178 electoral votes to Adam’s 83. The election also stirred another change; the revival of the two-party system. This race gave voters a choice between two candidates with sharply differing views. An opposition party had arisen and with it came many conflicts but the new party would also strengthen the democratic process by stirring debates on key issues and giving two different views on matters. Many newly elected officials elected to office used a practice called patronage. Jackson made the practice official by dismissing more than 200 presidential employees and about 2,000 other officeholders. They were replaced with 2,000 Jacksonian Democrats. The term spoils system was soon derived for the patronage system under Jackson. The spoils or pillage (jobs of previous appointees and officeholders) were taken from a defeated enemy. Jackson stated, in defense of the spoils system that any intellige...