Andrew Jackson

                Andrew Jackson was a great military leader along with being a successful lawyer, landowner, merchant, and President of the United States. He was born on March 15, 1776, his parents were Andrew and Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson, they had come to America from Ireland in 1765. Jackson was born right before his father died, it was while his mother was on a trip that she gave birth to him. His education was suddenly cut short when he enlisted in the militia when he was only 13, and he served there as a courier. Hugh, Jackson’s older brother, died in the Battle of Stono Ferry, in the year 1779. During this battle Andrew, and his other brother Robert, were captured, while they were imprisoned the two of them were afflicted with small pox, Jackson’s brother did not show signs of recovery, and sadly Robert died shortly after their release. In November of 1779 Elizabeth Jackson died from cholera, therefore as an orphan, Jackson was cared for by his uncles. During his later teenage years, he studied law in the city of Salisbury in North Carolina, and later in 1787, he became a lawyer. In 1796, he became a member of the convention that created the Tennessee Constitution. Later in 1804, Jackson became the owner of a large plantation in Davidson Country, Tennessee. Prior to that, in 1801, he was selected to be commander of the Tennessee Militia, and he continued to be involved in the military as later it the War of 1812, he, and his troops defeated the Creek Indians in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. After the battle, 20 million acres of land were gained for the United States, however, the battle tragically resulted in the death of 800 Indian warriors. On January 8, 1815, Jackson became a national hero after forcing 7,500 British soldiers to surrender in New Orleans, during the War of 1812, and for this he received gratitude from the Continental Congress and a golden metal, in addition to this, he was liked by his men, who gave him the nick name “Old Hickory,” as it was said that he was as tough as old hickory wood, and that his men were more afraid of him than the enemy. Pensacola Florida was captured by Jackson in 1817, this was the result of the first Seminal War. He had great success in the military alone, but he was also quite popular in political matters. In 1824, he was re-elected into the United States Senate, while he was there he was surrounded with popularity, this gave him confidence and he decided that he would run for president. He was extremely popular in the election of 1824, but his opponent, John Quincy Adams was chosen by the House of Representatives. It was only later, in the election of 1828 that Andrew Jackson won. During his presidency, he did not submit to the congress, at least not as far as making policies, he did not let others push him around during his presidency, in fact sometimes it seemed that he was the one who did the pushing around. Jackson was very popular, but regardless, he had his share of controversy, a prominent disagreement over Jackson’s connection with the Indians was one such event, he had worked out several treaties with them, and he was blamed for issues that later occurred. In 1788, Jackson met Rachel Donelson Robards, she was married to Captain Lewis Robards, but they had marriage issues, and even before they were divorced, Jackson and her married. Jackson had three sons that were adopted, the first one was an Indian orphan, who was named Theodore, the second was named Andrew Jackson Jr., he was the son of Rachel’s brother, Severn Donelson, thirdly there was Lyncoya, an orphan from the Creek Indians. Andrew Jackson was an amazing man, as he was able to be successful in more than one major field of work, but of course, his two most famous fields of success were his military and political victories. One thing that I admire about him, is that at least during his political career, he fought for what he believed was right, even though in my opinion some of what he fought for was wrong, such as displacing Indians.