Presidential Resources Online
Andrew Jackson 1829 - 1837
Popularly known as "Old
Hickory," Andrew Jackson ranks in American history as one of the nation's
most famous generals as well as the first modern chief executive. Jackson
held expansionist dreams, a commitment to state's rights, but above all, an
intense devotion to the preservation of the Union.
Jackson was born in 1767 in the backwoods settlement of
Waxhaw, South Carolina. After two years of study in Salisbury, North
Carolina, he traveled westward to Tennessee in 1786 to practice law, first in
Jonesboro and then later in Nashville. In the following years, Jackson
established a solid political and military career, serving in the U.S. House of
Representatives, the Senate, and as major general of both the Tennessee militia
and the U.S. Army.
In the presidential election of 1828, American voters
perceived Jackson as the "people's president" because they believed
that his predecessor, John Quincy Adams, had gained the office due to a
"corrupt bargain" with Henry Clay. Jackson easily won and masses
of ordinary people filled the White House at the Tennessean's inauguration.
Fearing that the government created monopolies would lead to
government corruption, Jackson vetoed legislation to recharter the Bank of the
United States in 1832. Again the masses applauded Jackson because he had
humbled the Eastern "money power."
Shortly after Jackson's reelection in 1832, the integrity of
the Union was threatened when South Carolina tried to prevent the collection of
U.S. tariff duties in their state. Jackson responded to South Carolina's
nullification attempts by threatening to use force if necessary to execute the
law. Jackson had earlier asserted, "Our Union, it must be
preserved!"
Aggressive and pragmatic, Andrew Jackson bequeathed to
Americans the legacy of democratic values. He remains one of America's
greatest and most colorful heroes.
Online Jackson Resources:
The Hermitage - Official
website of Jackson's plantation in Nashville, Tennessee, which is now a national
historic site. This site contains a wealth of Jackson information.
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