Our Presidents
                         Andrew Jackson
                               Seventh
                            1829 - 1837

"Andrew Jackson, our seventh President"was born in the Waxhaws, a frontier region on the North and South Carolina border. At thirteen Andrew Jackson joined the militia in the Revolution and was captured. Andrew Jackson had very little schooling, but studied law in North Carolina, then moved to Tennessee.

There Andrew Jackson married "Rachel Donelson Robards".  President and Mrs. Andrew Jackson had no children. In 1796, Andrew Jackson helped write the "Constitution of Tennessee" , then served in Congress. He was elected to the Senate in 1797.

During the "War of 1812" President Andrew Jackson led an Army against the "Creek Indians" and defeated them at Horshoe Bend, Alabama. Then as a Major General with six thousand frontier fighters, he defeadted twelve thousand British troops near New Orleans, unaware that the "War of 1812" was over.

In 1818, when "Seminole Indians" had attacked American settlers, he moved into Florida, pushed the Indians back, drove the Spanish out, and executed to Englishmen he said were helping the Indians. This made a strain on relations with England and Spain, but the affair was smoothed over by "President James Monroe."

President Andrew Jackson, now a military hero, ran for the office of Presidency in 1824 against "President John Quincy Adams" and two other candidates, but failed to get a majority, although he had the most votes. The "House of Representatives" elected President John Quincy Adams and for the next four years, President Andrew Jackson and his followers sabotaged President John Quincy Adams programs.

In 1828, President Andrew Jackson, having become enormously popular, especially in the West, won easily. President Andrew Jackson's presidency was a storm one. He broke with his Vice President over gossip about the wife of the Secretary of War. President Andrew Jackson's Cabinet resigned, and he appointed another, although he mostly depended on a group of advisors known as the "Kitchen Cabinet".

President Andrew Jackson ruined the "Bank of the United States" by putting federal funds in state banks. When South Carolina threatened to secede from the Union over a tariff considered ruinous to the South, President Andrew Jackson sent troops to enforce collection of duties.

But a compromise tariff was passed, the Union was saved, and President Andrew Jackson's popularity soared. He was re-elected overwhelmingly, this time with "Martin Van Buren" as his Vice President. Texas, which had been a part of Mexico, declared itself an Independent Republic in 1836.

Although Congress asked for United States recognition of the new "Republic of Texas" , President Andrew Jackson hesitated because anti-slavery forces felt it was a Southern trick to extend slavery further. But in President Andrew Jackson's last days in office, he finally recognized the Republic of Texas.

In 1837, President Andrew Jackson's policy against the Bank of the United States proved disastrous, causing a bank panic and depression in time to be inherited by Martin Van Buren, the next President. In 1845, President Andrew Jackson died at "The Hermitge" his home in Tennessee.

Written by:
Karen Palumbo
Photography "NOT" by:
Robert Palumbo
1/17/2010 (c)