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Andrew Jackson was a general before he became presdient, and he fought the with the Indians in New Orleans and that made
him famous cause he beat the battle
Andrew Jackson was born in rural South Carolina, the son of impoverished Irish immigrants. He received no
formal education. Young Jackson fought in the Battle of Hanging Rock at age 13. He was captured by British forces and asked
by an officer to shine his boots; Jackson refused and was struck with the flat side of a saber—an event that provoked
his lasting hatred of the British. 
Following the War for Independence, Jackson followed several occupations, studied law and became a public
prosecutor in western North Carolina (present-day Tennessee) in the new community of Nashville. Jackson became a land speculator
and slave owner; he also developed a reputation for brawling.
In 1791 Jackson married Rachel Robards. The couple mistakenly believed that her divorce from a previous husband
had been finalized. It had not and the couple married again in 1794. Jackson was extremely protective of his wife and in 1806
killed another man in a duel stemming from uncomplimentary remarks.
In 1796, he became the first U.S. Representative from the state of Tennessee and later its first Senator.
He returned to Tennessee and served as a state supreme court judge from 1798 to 1804. Jackson retired from the court and devoted
his time to the development of his home, the Hermitage, outside of Nashville.
During the War of 1812, Jackson took command of militia forces, but his mission was cancelled. While marching back to Tennessee, his
soldiers experienced his toughness and dubbed him “Old Hickory.” In 1814 during the Creek War, Jackson’s forces won a crushing victory at Horseshoe Bend on the Tallapoosa River. The Creeks, allies
of the British, were no longer a threat on the frontier. Jackson was promoted to major-general.
The highlight of Jackson's military career was his victory over British forces at the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815; the British suffered more than 2,000 casualties while the American sustained six killed and
10 wounded. This victory helped to restore the nation’s pride following the embarrassing White House torching by the
British and the government's ignominious flight. Jackson emerged a national hero.
In 1817, Jackson was recalled to pursue Seminole forces, which had been staging raids into Georgia. Without
authorization, he captured St. Marks and Pensacola and ordered the executions of two British citizens, an action that would
be cited repeatedly by his future critics. Jackson resigned his command and served for a short time as the governor of Florida.
In 1823, Jackson was elected to the U.S. Senate and immediately regarded as a presidential possibility. In
the Election of 1824, he garnered the most popular votes, but lacked an electoral majority. The House of Representatives selected
his rival, John Quincy Adams. Revenge was exacted in the Election of 1828. Jackson’s victory was regarded as the Revolution of 1828, marking the rise of popular political participation.
Jackson’s two terms were notable for the Eaton affair, the war against the Bank of the United States, his nullification fight with John C. Calhoun, his censure by the Senate, his use of the spoils system, the issuance of the Specie Circular and the recognition of Texan independence.
Jackson, plagued by ill health and financial woes, nevertheless remained active in Democratic politics after
leaving office. He was particularly strong in his support of Martin Van Buren and later James K. Polk.
Jackson was in many ways a contradictory figure. Known as the hero of the common man, he owned a large plantation
with slaves and had long been allied with the hard money and creditor interests in Tennessee politics. Jackson also was inconsistent
on the topic of states’ rights. He was willing to use armed might to quell the nullification forces of South Carolina,
but later allowed Georgia to ignore Supreme Court orders related to the treatment of the Cherokees. The resulting Trail of
Tears tragedy was certainly the low point in Jackson’s career.
Jackson was responsible for molding the modern presidency. He was the embodiment of the belief that the president
was the only official who represented all of the American people.
See Indian Wars Time Table.
The great Cherokee Nation that had fought the young Andrew Jackson back in 1788 now faced an even more powerful
and determined man who was intent on taking their land. But where in the past they had resorted to guns, tomahawks, and scalping
knives, now they chose to challenge him in a court of law. They were not called a "civilized nation" for nothing. Many of
their leaders were well educated; many more could read and write; they had their own written language, thanks to Sequoyah,
a constitution, schools, and their own newspaper. And they had adopted many skills of the white man to improve their living
conditions. Why should they be expelled from their lands when they no longer threatened white settlements and could compete
with them on many levels? They intended to fight their ouster, and they figured they had many ways to do it. As a last resort
they planned to bring suit before the Supreme Court.
Prior to that action, they sent a delegation to Washington to plead their cause. They petitioned Congress
to protect them against the unjust laws of Georgia that had decreed that they were subject to its sovereignty and under its
complete jurisdiction. They even approached the President, but he curtly informed them that there was nothing he could do
in their quarrel with the state, a statement that shocked and amazed them.
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So the Cherokees hired William Wirt to take their case to the Supreme Court. In the celebrated Cherokee
Nation v. Georgia he instituted suit for an injunction that would permit the Cherokees to remain in Georgia without interference
by the state. He argued that they constituted an independent nation and had been so regarded by the United States in its many
treaties with them.
Speaking for the majority of the court, Chief Justice John Marshall handed down his decision on March 18,
1831. Not surprisingly, as a great American nationalist, he rejected Wirt's argument that the Cherokees were a sovereign nation,
but he also rejected Jackson's claim that they were subject to state law. The Indians were "domestic dependent nations," he
ruled, subject to the United States as a ward to a guardian. Indian territory was part of the United States but not subject
to action by individual states.
When the Cherokees read Marshall's decision they honestly believed that the Nation had won the case, that
Georgia lacked authority to control their lives and property, and that the courts would protect them. The Supreme Court, the
Principal Chief told his people, decided "in our favor." So they stayed right where they were, and missionaries encouraged
them to stand fast.
But they figured without Andrew Jackson -- the man the Cherokees called Sharp Knife -- and the authorities
of Georgia. In late December 1830, the state passed another law prohibiting white men from entering Indian country after March
1, 1831, without a license from the state. This move was obviously intended to keep interfering clergymen from inciting the
Indians to disobey Georgia law. Eleven such missionaries were arrested for violating the recent statute, nine of whom accepted
pardons from the governor in return for a promise that they would cease violating Georgia law. But Samuel A. Worcester and
Dr. Elizur Butler refused the pardon, and Judge Augustin S.J. Clayton sentenced them to the state penitentiary, "there to
endure hard labor for the term of four years." They appealed the verdict and their case came before the Supreme Court.
On March 3, 1832, Marshall again ruled in Worcester v. Georgia, declaring all the laws of Georgia dealing
with the Cherokees unconstitutional, null, void, and of no effect. In addition he issued a formal mandate two days later ordering
the state's superior court to reverse its decision and free the two men.
Jackson was presently involved in a confrontation with South Carolina over the passage of the Tariffs of
1828 and 1832. The state had nullified the acts and threatened to secede from the Union if force were used to make her comply
with them. The last thing Jackson needed was a confrontation with another state, so he quietly nudged Georgia into obeying
the court order and freeing Butler and Worcester. A number of well-placed officials in both the state and national governments
lent a hand and the governor, Wilson Lumpkin, released the two men on January 14, 1833.
With the annoying problem of the two missionaries out of the way, both Georgia and Jackson continued to
lean on the Cherokees to get them to remove. "Some of the most vicious and base characters that the adjoining states can produce"
squatted on their land and stole "horses and other property" and formed a link with as many "bad citizens" of the Cherokee
Nation "as they can associate into their club." Missionaries decried what was happening to the Cherokees. If only "whites
would not molest them," wrote Dr. Elizur Butler in The Missionary Herald. They have made remarkable progress in the
last dozen years and if left alone they can and will complete the process toward a "civilized life."
But allowing eastern Indians full control of their eastern lands was virtually impossible in the 1830s.
There was not army enough or will enough by the American people to bring it about. As Jackson constantly warned, squatters
would continue to invade and occupy the land they wanted; then, if they were attacked, they would turn to the state government
for protection that usually ended in violence. All this under the guise of bringing "civilization" to the wilderness.
Even so, the Cherokees had a strong leader who had not yet given up the fight. They were led by the wily,
tough, and determined John Ross, a blue-eyed, brown-haired mixed-blood who was only one-eighth Cherokee. Nonetheless he was
the Principal Chief, and a most powerful force within the Nation. He was rich, lived in a fine house attended by black slaves,
and had influence over the annuities the United States paid to the tribal government for former land cessions. His appearance
and life-style were distinctly white; in all other respects he was Indian.
From the beginning of Jackson's administration Ross urged his people to stand their ground and remain united.
"Friends," he told his people, "I have great hopes in your firmness and that you will hold fast to the place where you were
raised. Friends if you all unite together and be of one mind there is no danger." And the Cherokees cheered his determination.
They approved wholeheartedly of his leadership and they took comfort in what he said. So, with the Nation solidly behind him,
Ross resolutely resisted any thought of leading his people from their ancient land into a god-forsaken wilderness.
Still the Cherokees held out, even though even they had begun to feel the unrelenting pressure. A so-called
Treaty Party emerged within the Nation, made up of chiefs and headmen who understood Jackson's inflexible will and had decided
to bow to his wishes and try to get the best treaty possible. They were led by very capable, hard-headed, and pragmatic men,
including the Speaker of the Cherokee National Council, Major Ridge; his son, the educated and politically ambitious John
Ridge; and the editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, Elias Boudinot.
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The Battle of New Orleans had made Andrew Jackson a national hero overnight. But mere early accomplishments can never
fill the void that exists in a lost man's soul. Besides, the humble general had more sense than the editors of Laissez Faire
Books concerning the ultimate cause for his victory, acknowledging to a friend, "It appears that the unerring hand of Providence
shielded my men from the shower of balls, bombs, and rockets, when every ball and bomb from our guns carried with them a mission
of death." (1)
Andrew Jackson was better known for his attendance at duels than at church, but
on a particular Monday in October of 1818, he decided to visit a revival service in Nashville where the controversial Peter
Cartwright was scheduled to speak. As it happened, the General entered as the preacher was reading his text, "For what shall
it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36) With all the seats already occupied,
the famous Indian fighter and war hero was content to stand, gracefully leaning on the middle post. At the sight of his stately
appearance, the host pastor, a certain "Brother Mac," became nervous in the extreme. Seated on the platform directly behind
the pulpit, he tugged on Cartwright's jacket, whispering, "General Jackson has come in; General Jackson has come in." Cartwright
was aghast at the pastor's double standard:
I felt a flash of indignation run all over me like an electric shock, and facing
about to my congregation, and purposely speaking out audibly, I said, "Who is General Jackson? If he don't get his soul converted,
God will damn him as quick as he would a Guinea negro." (2) The preacher tucked his head down, and squatted low, and would, no doubt, have been thankful for leave of absence.
The congregation, General Jackson and all, smiled or laughed right out, all at the preacher's expense.
When the congregation was dismissed, my city-stationed preacher stepped up to
me, and very sternly said to me: "You are the strangest man I ever saw, and General Jackson will chastise you for your insolence
before you leave the city." "Very clear of it," said I, "for General Jackson, I have no doubt, will applaud my course; and
if he should undertake to chastise me... there is two as can play that game."
Next morning, very early, my city preacher went down to the hotel to make an
apology to General Jackson for my conduct in the pulpit the night before. Shortly after he had left I passed by the hotel,
and I met the General on the pavement; and before I approached him by several steps he smiled, and reached out his hand and
said: "Mr. Cartwright, you are a man after my own heart. I am very surprised at Mr. Mac, to think that I would be offended
at you. No, sir; I told him that I highly approved of your independence; that a minister of Jesus Christ ought to love every
body and fear no mortal man. I told Mr. Mac that if I had a few thousand such independent, fearless officers as you were,
and a well drilled army, I could take Old England." (3)
Acknowledging that Jackson was "no doubt in his prime of life, a very wicked
man," Cartwright relates the following story to illustrate the General's "great respect for the Christian religion, and the
feelings of religious people, especially ministers of the Gospel":
I had preached one Sabbath near the Hermitage, and, in company with several gentlemen
and ladies, went, by special invitation, to dine with the General. Among this company there was a young sprig of a lawyer
from Nashville, of very ordinary intellect, and he was trying hard to make an infidel of himself. As I was the only preacher
present, this young lawyer kept pushing his conversation on me, in order to get into an argument. I tried to evade an argument,
in the first place considering it a breach of good manners to interrupt the social conversation of the company. In the second
place I plainly saw that his head was much softer than his heart, and that there were no laurels to be won by vanquishing
or demolishing such a combatant, and I persisted in evading an argument.
This seemed to inspire the young man with more confidence in himself; for my
evasiveness he construed into fear. I saw General Jackson's eye strike fire, as he sat by and heard the thrusts he made at
the Christian religion. At length the young lawyer asked me this question: "Mr. Cartwright, do you really believe there is
any such place as hell, as a place of torment?" I answered promptly, "Yes, I do." To which he responded, "Well, I thank God
I have too much good sense to believe any such thing."
I was pondering in my mind whether I would answer him or not, when General Jackson
for the first time broke into the conversation, and directing his words to the young man, said with great earnestness: "Well,
sir, I thank God that there is such a place of torment as hell." This sudden answer, made with great earnestness, seemed to
astonish the youngster, and he exclaimed: "Why, General Jackson, what do you want with such a place of torment as hell?" To
which the General replied, as quick as lightning, "To put such [expletive] rascals as you are in, that oppose and vilify the
Christian religion." (4)
It was about this same time (1818) that Jackson invaded the Spanish held territory
of eastern Florida in order to stop frontier attacks by the Seminole Indians. He eventually defeated the Seminoles, drove
out the Spanish and seized control of Florida. By the year 1828, Andrew Jackson was the undisputed people's choice for president.
A contemporary of the new chief executive wrote, "History is sure to preserve the name of any man who has had the strength
and genius to stamp his own character on the people over whose destinies he presided." (5)
However, Jackson's greatest triumph came on the eve of his greatest personal
tragedy. Before the new president could be sworn into office, his beloved wife succumbed to a massive heart attack. On Christmas
Eve, 1828, Rachel Jackson [click here to read a biographical sketch] was laid to rest in her garden. A friend of the widower related, "I never pitied any person
more in my life. .. I shall never forget his look of grief." (6)
Jackson had many enemies in the banking industry because of his incessant attacks
on the nation's third central bank, called the Second Bank of the United States (a battle he would eventually win). In January
of 1835, a bearded man attempted to assassinate the President, firing two pistols at him at point-blank range. For some reason,
both guns failed to discharge. Having received a letter of concern from the King of England, Jackson wrote back exclaiming,
"A kind of Providence had been pleased to shield me against the recent attempt upon my life, and irresistibly carried many
minds to the belief in a superintending Providence." (7)
On March 4, 1837, President Jackson delivered his Farewell Address and reiterated
the theme of America's unique destiny in world history:
You have the highest of human trusts committed to your care. Providence has showered
on this favored land blessings without number, and has chosen you as the guardians of freedom, to preserve it for the benefit
of the human race. May He who holds in His hands the destinies of nations, make you worthy of the favors He has bestowed,
and enable you, with pure hearts and hands and sleepless vigilance, to guard and defend to the end of time, the great charge
He has committed to your keeping. (8)
Retirement years brought on seasons of serious reflection. The seed sown by Peter
Cartwright was finally ready to bear fruit as God's Word was not about to return void. Chamberlain writes:
The evening of his stormy life had come. The remains of his much loved wife were
resting in the humble graveyard near the house. At last thoughts of eternity were forced upon him. After attending a series
of religious meetings Jackson became greatly convicted of his sin. He passed the night walking in his chamber in anguish and
prayer. In the morning he announced to his family his full conviction that he had repented of his sins, and, through faith
in Jesus Christ, had obtained forgiveness. Family prayer was immediately established... he was privileged to read through
the Bible twice. (9)
On May 29, 1845, only a few weeks before his death, Jackson declared:
Sir, I am in the hands of a merciful God. I have full confidence in his goodness
and mercy.... The Bible is true... Upon that sacred volume I rest my hope for eternal salvation, through the merits and blood
of our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. (10)
Finally, on June 8, 1845, just moments before he sailed into eternity, Jackson
reassured everyone with these words:
My dear children, do not grieve for me; it is true, I am going to leave you;
I am well aware of my situation. I have suffered much bodily pain, but my sufferings are as nothing compared with that which
our blessed Redeemer endured upon the accursed Cross, that all might be saved who put their trust in Him... God will take
care of you for me. I am my God's. I belong to Him. I go but a short time before you, and... I hope and trust to meet you
all in Heaven, both white and black. (11)
Before expiring, Andrew Jackson made a last appeal for America to build her future
on the blessed Word of God. "That book, Sir, is the Rock upon which our republic rests." (12) Hallelujah for the old time religion!
End notes (numbers were changed because of excerpt)
- William J. Federer, America's God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotes
(Coppell, Tex.: Fame Publishing, 1994), 307.
- W. P. Strickland, ea., Autobiography of Peter Cartwright, The Backwoods
Preacher (New York: Carlton & Porter Publishers, 1857), 192.
- Ibid., 192-93.
- Ibid., 193-94.
- Robert V. Remini, The Revolutionary Age of Andrew Jackson (New York:
Avon Books, 1977), 32.
- Ibid., 34.
- Federer, America's God and Country, 309
- Ibid., 310.
- Ray Chamberlin, Quotes and Quaint Stories of Great Americans (Cynthiana,
Ky.: Ray Chamberlin, n.d.), 36.
- Federer, America's God and Country, 312.
- Ibid.
- Ibid., 311
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The following was taken from the fly leaf of the book-
About the Book:
What Hath God Wrought! A Biblical Interpretation of American History
 668-pages
Hardbound
$19.95 (regular price: $29.95
Contained within the pages of this volume is an enlightening commentary on God's
gracious relationship with the United States of America. The esteemed patriot, Patrick Henry, declared unashamedly, "It cannot
be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on
religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ."
The words, "What Hath God Wrought!" taken from Numbers 23:23, comprised
the inaugural message transmitted by the newly invented electric telegraph. Professor Samuel F.B. Morse, a spiritual born-
again believer, wanted the Lord to receive the glory for his earthly accomplishments.
However, what God wrought - Satan
sought! Unbeknown to most Americans, Christians included, the devil hatched a subtle foreign conspiracy against the democratic
institutions of this land. While traveling abroad, Dr. Morse was providentially made aware of this plot and subsequently authored
two books to alert his endangered countrymen.
Much of the evil in our nation today can be attributed to the ongoing
effects of this ideological intrusion. As the reader learns of these diabolical intrigues throughout the ensuing chapters,
it is hoped that he will rededicate himself to both God and country in this present crisis four.
About the Author:
 Dr. William P. (Bill) Grady was born and reared in New York City as a strict Roman Catholic. After
attending the University of Delaware and Goldey Beacom Business College, he sold office equipment for three years before entering
the airline industry as a marketing representative for British Airways.
Dr. Grady was saved and baptized in 1974 at
the Marcus Hook Baptist Church in Lynwood, Pennsylvania and called to preach later that year.
Having studied at Calvary
Bible Institute and Philadelphia College of Bible, he enrolled in Hyles- Anderson College, earning a B.S. in Pastoral Theology
and an M. Ed. in Christian Education. He received a D.D. from Anchor Baptist Bible College in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina,
and holds a Th. M. in English Bible from Baptist International School of Theology and a Ph. D. in History from Baptist International
Seminary.
He founded and pastored the Kootenai County Baptist Church in Post Falls, Idaho from 1981 to 1986 at which
time he returned to Hyles-Anderson College as a faculty member, continuing in that position through 1996.
Dr. Grady
is also the author of the bestseller Final Authority: A Christian's Guide to the King James Bible, now in its seventh printing.
He presently serves on the board of International Baptist Missions of Asheville, North Carolina and is a frequent guest speaker
at churches throughout the nation.
Bill and his wife, Linda, have three children, Daniel, Sara and Paul.
Excerpt permission
"It is the burden of [Dr. Grady] to disseminate the truth in this book. No prior
permission is required to duplicate up to 3.000 words for non-commercial, non-salable or non-financial purposes. No part beyond
this limit may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or
by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher [Grady Publications, Inc.,
PO Box 506, Schererville, IN 46375 USA]"
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Childhood
Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, was born in the Waxhaws area near the border between
North and South Carolina on March 15, 1767. Jackson's parents lived in North Carolina but historians debate on which side
of the state line the birth took place.
Jackson was the third child and third son of Scots-Irish parents. His father, also named Andrew, died as the
result of a logging accident just a few weeks before the future president was born. Jackson's mother, Elizabeth ("Betty")
Hutchison Jackson, was by all accounts a strong, independent woman. After her husband's death she raised her three sons at
the South Carolina home of one of her sisters.
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The American Revolution
The Declaration of Independence was signed when young Andrew was nine years old and at thirteen he joined
the Continental Army as a courier. The Revolution took a toll on the Jackson family. All three boys saw active service. One
of Andrew's older brothers, Hugh, died after the Battle of Stono Ferry, South Carolina in 1779, and two years later Andrew
and his other brother Robert were taken prisoner for a few weeks in April 1781. While they were captives a British officer
ordered them to clean his boots. The boys refused, the officer struck them with his sword and Andrew's hand was cut to the
bone. Because of his ill treatment Jackson harbored a bitter resentment towards the British until his death.
Both brothers contracted smallpox during their imprisonment and Robert was dead within days of their release.
Later that year Betty Jackson went to Charleston to nurse American prisoners of war. Shortly after she arrived Mrs. Jackson
fell ill with either ship fever or cholera and died. Andrew found himself an orphan and an only child at fourteen. Jackson
spent most of the next year and a half living with relatives and for six of those months was apprenticed to a saddle maker.
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Public Career
After the war Jackson taught school briefly, but he didn't like it and decided to practice law instead. In
1784, when he was seventeen, he went to Salisbury, North Carolina where he studied law for several years. He was admitted
to the North Carolina Bar in September 1787 and the following spring began his public career with an appointment as prosecuting
officer for the Superior Court in Nashville, Tennessee, which at that time was a part of the Western District of North Carolina.
In June 1796 Tennessee was separated from North Carolina and admitted to the Union as the sixteenth state.
Jackson was soon afterward elected the new state's first congressman. The following year the Tennessee legislature elected
him a U.S. senator, but he held his senatorial seat for only one session before resigning. After his resignation Jackson came
home and served for six years as a judge on the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Jackson's military career, which had begun in the Revolution, continued in 1802 when he was elected major
general of the Tennessee militia. Ten years later Tennessee Governor Willie Blount (of the North Carolina Blount family) gave
him the rank of major general of U.S. forces. In 1814, after several devastating campaigns against Native Americans in the
Creek War, he was finally promoted to major general in the regular army. Jackson also later led troops during the First Seminole
War in Florida.
General Jackson emerged a national hero from the War of 1812, primarily because of his decisive defeat of
the British at the Battle of New Orleans. It was during this period he earned his nickname of "Old Hickory." Jackson had been
ordered to march his Tennessee troops to Natchez, Mississippi. When he got there he was told to disband his men because they
were unneeded. General Jackson refused and marched them back to Tennessee. Because of his strict discipline on that march
his men began to say he was as tough as hickory and the nickname stuck.
GO to top
Politics and Elections
All his life Jackson was a loyal friend and a fierce enemy. This was never more true than during his years
in politics at the national level beginning with the 1824 presidential election.
Jacksonians often referred to the 1824 election as the "Stolen Election" because while Jackson swept the popular
vote hands down, he did not have enough electoral votes to automatically win the presidency. Therefore the election had to
be decided by the House of Representatives.
Jackson's opponents were Henry Clay of Kentucky, John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, and William H. Crawford
of Georgia who were respectively speaker of the house, secretary of state, and secretary of the treasury. Adams was horrified
at the thought of Jackson becoming president. The patrician New Englander thought this parvenu from the west was a badly educated
bumpkin with little preparation for high office. Because Clay's opinion of Jackson was similar, the Kentuckian threw his support
to Adams on the first ballot and Adams was elected. Jackson never forgave either one of them, especially after Adams named
Clay his secretary of state in what seemed to be a payoff for Clay's votes.
In the years leading up to the 1828 election Jackson and his followers continually criticized the Adams administration.
Jackson took the position he was the people's candidate and never lost an opportunity to point out that the people's choice
in 1824 had been disregarded by the elite. This tactic proved successful and Jackson defeated Adams in the 1828 election and
four years later defeated Clay in the election of 1832.
Loss of the "Stolen Election" was not the only thing Jackson held against Adams. During the 1828 campaign
the Adams camp charged Jackson and his wife with adultery. The claims grew out of naivete on the Jacksons' part. Rachel Donelson
had a first, unhappy marriage with Lewis Robards. In 1790 the Kentucky legislature passed a resolution granting Robards permission
to sue for divorce, though he did not do so at the time.
Andrew and Rachel confused the permission to sue with an actual declaration of divorce. They married in 1791,
not realizing Rachel was still legally married. Robards finally sued for divorce in 1793 citing Rachel's "adultery" with Jackson.
The Jacksons remarried in 1794, but the embarrassing and often malicious gossip persisted. Rachel Jackson died a few weeks
before her husband's inauguration and Jackson blamed her early death on stress caused by the public discussion of their supposed
immorality during the campaign.
GO to top
The Presidency
Andrew Jackson may have been our seventh president, but he was first in many ways. He was the first populist
president who did not come from the aristocracy, he was the first to have his vice-president resign ( John C. Calhoun), he
was the first to marry a divorcee, he was the first to be nominated at a national convention (his second term), the first
to use an informal "Kitchen Cabinet"of advisers, and the first president to use the "pocket veto" to kill a congressional
bill (legislation fails to become law if Congress adjourns and the president has not signed the bill in question).
Jackson believed in a strong presidency and he vetoed a dozen pieces of legislation, more than the first six
presidents put together. Jackson also believed in a strong Union and this belief brought him into open opposition with Southern
legislators, especially those from South Carolina. South Carolina thought the 1832 tariff signed by President Jackson was
much too high. In retaliation, the South Carolina legislature passed an Ordinance of Nullification, which rejected the tariff
and declared the tariff invalid in South Carolina. Jackson was as far from being a States' Righter as it was possible to be
and issued a presidential proclamation against South Carolina. On the whole Congress supported Jackson's position on the issue
and a compromise tariff was passed in 1833. The immediate crisis passed, but the incident was a precursor of the positions
that would lead almost thirty years later to the War Between the States.
Another major issue during Jackson's presidency was his refusal to sanction the recharter of the Bank of the
United States. Jackson thought Congress had not had the authority to create the Bank in the first place, but he also viewed
the Bank as operating for the primary benefit of the upper classes at the expense of working people. Jackson used one of his
dozen vetoes, and the Bank's congressional supporters did not have enough votes to override him. The Bank ceased to exist
when its charter expired in 1836, but even before that date the president had weakened it considerably by withdrawing millions
of dollars of federal funds.
Jackson's record regarding Native Americans was not good. He led troops against them in both the Creek War
and the First Seminole War and during his first administration the Indian Removal Act was passed in 1830. The act offered
the Indians land west of the Mississippi in return for evacuation of their tribal homes in the east. About 100 million acres
of traditional Indian lands were cleared under this law.
Two years later Jackson did nothing to make Georgia abide by the Supreme Court's ruling in Worcester vs. Georgia
in which the Court found that the State of Georgia did not have any jurisdiction over the Cherokees. Georgia ignored the Court's
decision and so did Andrew Jackson. In 1838-1839 Georgia evicted the Cherokees and forced them to march west. About twenty-five
percent of the Indians were dead before they reached their new lands in Oklahoma. The Indians refer to this march as the "Trail
of Tears" and even though it took place after Jackson's presidency, the roots of the march can be found in Jackson's failure
to uphold the legal rights of Native Americans during his administration.
During Jackson's presidential years two states were admitted to the Union (Arkansas in 1836 and Michigan in
1837) and the rulings of Roger Taney, one of his Supreme Court appointments, had an impact on American life long after Jackson's
retirement. In 1836 Taney succeeded John Marshall as chief justice. One of Taney's early rulings gave permission for states
to restrict immigration, while another destroyed a transportation monopoly in Massachusetts, establishing for the first time
the principle in U.S. law that the public good is superior to private rights. But Taney is best known for his pro-slavery
position in the Dred Scott case in 1857. Chief Justice Taney authored the majority opinion which refused to recognize that
Congress had the authority to ban slavery in territory areas. In addition he said Blacks were "inferior" beings who had "no
rights which the white man was bound to respect."
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Retirement
Jackson's health was never good and there were times during his presidency when it seemed he would not live
to complete his term. But complete it he did and in 1837 retired to his home near Nashville which he and Rachel had named
The Hermitage. When the Hermitage was first built it was little more than a small cabin, but by Jackson's retirement it had
been expanded, remodeled, and rebuilt into a spacious plantation house.
Jackson remained a force in politics in his latter years. For example it was very much Jackson's behind the
scenes maneuvering which secured the presidency for his successor Martin Van Buren and in 1840 he actively campaigned for
Van Buren in Van Buren's unsuccessful candidacy for re-election. Jackson also worked for the annexation of Texas and remained
loyal to future President James K. Polk (another North Carolina native). Polk had been one of Jackson's strongest supporters
in Congress as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
In his last few years Jackson's health deteriorated badly and he died at the Hermitage on June 8, 1845.
Andrew and Rachel Jackson did not have any children of their own, but adopted one of Rachel's nephews and
gave him the name of Andrew Jackson, Jr. Jackson willed the Hermitage to Andrew Jr., but young Jackson's debts forced the
sale of the property to the State of Tennessee in 1886. The Hermitage is today open to the public as an historic site.
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The preceding information was compiled from a number of sources by the Information Services Branch of the
State Library.
FURTHER READING AND RESOURCES
- The Age of Jackson. Arthur M. Schlesinger. Boston: Little, Brown, 1945.
- Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Empire, 1767-1821. Robert V. Remini. New York: Harper
& Row, 1977.
- Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Freedom, 1822-1832. Robert V. Remini. New York: Harper
& Row, 1981.
- Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Democracy, 1833-1845. Robert V. Remini. New York: Harper
& Row, 1984.
- Andrew Jackson and North Carolina Politics. William S. Hoffman. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North
Carolina Press, 1958.
- Selected Papers. Andrew Jackson. North Carolina Division of Archives & History. (The bulk of
his papers are housed in the Library of Congress)
New York
Main Rivers - Hudson River, Mohawk River, Genesee
River State Abbreviation - NY
State Capital - Albany
Biggest City - New York City
Area - 54,475 square miles [New
York is the 27th largest state in the USA]
Population - 18,976,457 (as of 2000) [New York is the third most populous state in the USA, after California and Texas]
Major Industries - finance, communications, international trade, publishing, fashion,
communications, farming (fruit and dairy),
Highest Point - Mt. Marcy, 5,344 feet (1,629
m) above sea level
Bordering States - Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island (water border)
Bordering Country - Canada
Bordering Bodies of Water - Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Champlain, Atlantic Ocean
Origin of the Name New York - The English took over of the area that had been called
"New Netherland" in 1664, and renamed it New York to honor of the Duke of York (York is a city in England).
State
Nickname - The Empire State
State Motto - Excelsior (Ever Upwards)
State Song - "I Love New York"
Dinosaur Fossils Found in New York
- Coelophysis trackways (found in the Newark Basin)
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