Andrew Jackson | Presidency, Facts & Death

Andrew Jackson Summary

In 1828 Andrew Jackson was elected to the presidency, marking a monumental shift in American politics. The pivotal scene that illustrates this considerable shift is an event called the inaugural brawl so. Andrew Jackson styled himself a man of the people, and so when he arrived at the presidential mansion, all his people were waiting there for him; he threw the doors open to them, offered them coffee and tea, and probed digit amounts of spiked punch and the people got deeper and deeper into their cups fist fights broke out the people were cutting parts of the drapery off as a souvenir they ground cake into the carpet under their boots.

They spit their nasty tobacco juice all over the floors now; it is impossible to imagine something like this happening at the inaugurations of regal presidents like Washington or Adams, but it did, and that brings us to the era of Andrew Jackson. Let’s get to it. It’s time to kick it old school.

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Fast Facts

Born	March 15, 1767, North Carolina and South Carolina border
Died	June 8, 1845 (Aged 78), Nashville, TN
Wife	Rachel Donelson
Parents	Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson > Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson’s Early Life

Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, on the North Carolina and South Carolina border. The exact location of his birth is not known, as the land in the area had yet to be surveyed. What type of life did Andrew Jackson have before becoming a national military hero and the seventh President of the United States? Andrew Jackson was born to Presbyterian parents who had emigrated from Ireland two years before, and his birth came a mere three weeks after the sudden death of his father.

As a child, Andrew Jackson grew up in poverty in the Waxhaws wilderness and received little education in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. When the conflict came to the Carolinas, Andrew Jackson’s oldest brother Hugh died in the Battle of Stono Ferry, and Andrew, at the young age of 13, joined a local militia to serve as a courier for the patriot army. Andrew Jackson was captured by the British and his second brother Robert in 1781.

The brothers were treated harshly by their captors, and both were nearly starved to death during their imprisonment. While being held by the British, a confrontation left the future President scarred for the remainder of his life. In a show of defiance, thirteen-year-old Andrew Jackson refused to shine the boots of an arrogant British officer.

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The officer raised his sword in a fit of rage and wielded it at Jackson, gashing his lefthand and slashing his face. Both Jackson boys contracted smallpox during their captivity,

The loss of both siblings was quickly followed by another tragedy. After being assured that her only surviving child would recover, Elizabeth Jackson volunteered to nurse American prisoners of war who were inflicted with cholera. After Jackson’s mother struggled to save the lives of those imprisoned on British ships in Charleston Harbor, the disease claimed her life. She was buried in an unmarked grave, leaving Andrew orphaned and alone at age 14.

The deaths of so many family members during the Revolutionary War created a lifelong hatred for the British that Jackson would harbor until his dying day. Jackson spent the remainder of his youth living with his uncles, and he went on to study law in Salisbury, North Carolina. After being admitted to the bar in 1787, the 21-year-old Jackson was appointed prosecuting attorney in the western district of North Carolina (now part of Tennessee).

In 1788, he used profits made from his thriving law practice and moved to the frontier settlement of Nashville, Tennessee. In 1796, Jackson served as a member of the convention that wrote the Tennessee Constitution, and he was elected to serve as Tennessee’s first congressman in the US House of Representatives. The following year, he was elected to the US Senate, but he resigned after only eight months. He was later appointed to serve as a circuit judge on the Tennessee superior court, a position he held until 1804.

Elections of 1824

We start and take a look at the 1824 elections. Andrew Jackson, a lawyer and decorated military leader from Tennessee had just lost against John Quincy Adams in the presidential election of 1824. I did not lose. I won both the popular and electoral votes. It was a corrupt bargain, and I stand by that. I do not have any idea what you are talking about! Everything was on the up and up.

As there was no outright winner, the House of Representatives voted in favor of John Quincy Adams, thanks to Speaker Henry Clay. It so turned out that Adams named Henry Clay as his Secretary of State in March of 1825. A bit suspicious, huh? But Jackson shook off the loss, and by the time the 1828 election came around, Jackson s popularity had soared, partly thanks to new voting laws.

1828 Elections, Adams vs Jackson

In 1828, Andrew Jackson s support had swelled throughout the country thanks to many states expanding the voting rights to all white men, not just property owners. It was a bitter campaign, but what do you expect from Adams and his posse of elitists? They went as far as to charge my wife of bigamy. Outrageous!! In the end, Andrew Jackson defeated John Quincy Adams with 54% of the popular vote and secured 178 of the 261 electoral votes. Power to the people! Instead of putting together a traditional cabinet, I formed an informal group of advisors and friends to help lead my administration.

Presidency

Jacksonian Democracy & Spoils System

Andrew Jackson was inaugurated on March 4, 1829. He took office at a rare time when there were no major economic or foreign crises facing the US. Jackson did not waste time turning power over to the common people as he had promised in his campaign. I first focused on my presidential appointments.

I believed that a rotation of public officials was the most democratic process, and therefore I removed and replaced a large number of people who had been running the government. Jackson’s appointments were just a corrupt use of political patronage. Jackson’s spoils system and empowerment of the common man were key points in what would be called Jacksonian Democracy.

Tariff Wars

The beginning of Jackson s presidency was marked by a crisis that would have implications for many years. Before Jackson became president, Congress passed the Tariff of 1828. The high tariffs on imported goods were devised to protect mostly the Northeastern manufacturers who complained about competition from English imports. Before I even stepped into the White House, this was a mess. The South and South Carolina, in particular, took particular issue with the tariff.

These tariffs hurt the good people of South Carolina and the South because not only were we paying higher prices on imported goods, but our crucial trade with England significantly suffered. I encouraged the states to stop this nonsense and ignore these laws. Supporters hoped that Jackson would reduce or even get rid of the tariff altogether. As a firm believer in states’ rights, I understood where South Carolina was coming from. But we had a huge national debt, and the tariff was a way to help repay it.

The tariff issue would be one that simmered throughout much of Jackson’s first term, with Jackson and South Carolina both refusing to compromise. This would come to a head in 1832. The 1828 tariff significantly increased tensions between Northern and Southern states for decades to come.

Indian Removal Act

One of the most controversial bills passed under Jackson’s administration was the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Five Indigenous tribes were located on land that was highly sought after by white settlers. The tribes on the land were the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole. The Bill set aside land in the West for Native tribes to be relocated and resettled. The Bill was illegal, so we took it to court. The Cherokees of Georgia sued the federal government in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court ruled in the Cherokee’s favor, but Georgia continued to refuse to enforce it on the basis of states’ rights. Andrew Jackson, who would later take a much different stance on states’ rights in South Carolina, famously said of the case: John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it. It is one of my most memorable quotes. This Bill also set the stage for the forced removal of Southern Tribes to the West.

The U.S. government spent nearly 30 years forcing Indigenous peoples to move westward, beyond the Mississippi River. Over 15,000 of the Cherokees were forced to walk from their homes in the Southern states to a designated territory in present-day Oklahoma in 1838, and this became known as the Trail of Tears.

Elections of 1832

Despite the issues that plagued his first term, Jackson ran for reelection with Martin Van Buren as his running mate. Andrew Jackson’s opponent was Henry Clay, the former Speaker of the House and former Secretary of State. We called him “King Andrew I” because of his excessive use of the veto and, of course, his corrupt “spoils system.” Going into reelection, I focused on the abolition of the Second National Bank, a platform popular among the people.

The people viewed the bank as only serving the interests of the Northeastern elites. Jackson was re-elected in the Election of 1832 with a majority of the popular vote and 219 out of 286 electoral votes. I was down but not out after that election defeat.

Tariff of 1832 & Nullification Crisis

Much of my first term was marred by the tariff issue. South Carolina believed I did nothing to appease them, though I did support the idea of re-writing the tariff to reduce the burden. After several years of simmering tensions, in hopes of appeasing the South, Congress passed a revised tariff in 1832 that lessened the burden on Southerners. Trust me, Jackson’s inflexibility to compromise on the tariff issue was the main reason I resigned as Vice President in December of 1832.

We were not appeased. Instead, we declared the tariff null and void. I did not like that at all, so I denounced the nullification and asked Congress to pass a bill to authorize the use of federal troops to enforce federal laws. Luckily, the Force Bill was never enforced. The reduced tariff bill that satisfied both South Carolina and Jackson was passed in 1833, and it satisfied both South Carolina and Jackson.

Bank Wars

Much of my first term was marred by the tariff issue. South Carolina believed I did nothing to appease them, though I did support the idea of re-writing the tariff to reduce the burden. After several years of simmering tensions, Congress passed a revised tax in 1832 that lessened the burden on Southerners in hopes of appeasing the South. Trust me, Jackson’s inflexibility to compromise on the tariff issue was why I resigned as Vice President in December of 1832.

We were not appeased. Instead, we declared the tariff null and void. I wouldn’t say I liked that at all, so I denounced the nullification and asked Congress to pass a bill to authorize the use of federal troops to enforce federal laws. Luckily, the Force Bill was never implemented. The reduced tariff bill that satisfied both South Carolina and Jackson was passed in 1833 and met both South Carolina and Jackson.

Panic of 1837

Though, in hindsight, the economic boom was mostly caused by the banks printing more money and allowing paper money sales of land. Andrew Jackson issued the executive order, Species Circular, which ended the practice of selling government land on credit. This meant that all land purchases had to be done with either gold or silver. Jackson tried to rectify this on his last day in office, but the result was an economic crisis in 1837.

Ironically, I am now on that paper money myself. The Age of Andrew Jackson has had a lasting influence on American politics today. With his use of expansive Presidential powers and vetoes, his reconfiguring of political parties, his wide use of the spoils system, and his support of the Indian Removal Act, Jackson was a polarizing president.

Andrew Jackson Death

Andrew Jackson retired from the Hermitage in 1837 and decided to organize its operations right away because they had been mismanaged while he was away. Jackson maintained his power in both u.s. federal politics despite being ill and having lost some of his popularity as a result of being held responsible for the Panic of 1837.

On June 8, 1845, Jackson died of dropsy and heart failure (Aged 78); his family and his friends were all there, and he said his last words, “Oh, don’t cry. We will meet in heaven. And he was buried in the tomb of his wife.

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