Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) became a General in the War of 1812 and was considered to be a war hero. He became the seventh President of the United States of America. He was the first Democrat and is on the Twenty Dollar Bill. His nickname was "Old Hickory".

Early life
As a boy Andrew Jackson was a messenger for the Continental Army. The British caught him and mistreated him.

He was the first U.S. President who was not born into a rich family. He was not a rich man and did not have a college education. He moved to Tennessee and became a politician.

Marriage
In 1791, he fell in love with Rachel Donelson Robards. They went through a marriage ceremony. However, the marriage was not legal because she had not been granted a divorce from her first husband. Therefore, they married legally three years later. They had no children, but they adopted several. He became rich and owned a large plantation.

Politics
Andrew Jackson reorganized the Democratic Party and was its leader.

In 1828, he defeated John Quincy Adams in the Presidential Election of 1828, he became President on March 4th, 1829, and four years later he was re-elected to a second term as President.

During his Presidency, he signed the Indian Removal Act which allowed the U.S. government to violently force the Native Americans to move from their land and go west. Many Native Americans were killed and the path they walked to get to the west was called the Trail of Tears.

Andrew Jackson was against the national bank of the United States because he felt that banks and their banknotes were for rich and powerful people and did not serve the interests of the common man. The national bank expired during Jackson's Presidency. Jackson chose not to continue the bank.

On March 4th, 1837, Andrew Jackson finished his second term. After that, Vice-President Martin Van Buren was elected President and continued many of the things Jackson did. Jackson was a big influence on other Democrats during the 1800s.

Legacy
Jackson's legacy among historians is mixed. Some have liked him because he was against aristocrats, bankers, businessmen, the British Empire, cities, and paper money, and in favor of ordinary country people. Some have disliked him for the same reasons and because he was in favor of war and slavery, and against Indians.

Other websites

 * Jackson's White House biography