Andrew Jackson | |
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.jpg) Portrait c. 1835 | |
| 7th President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1829 – March 4, 1837 | |
| Vice President |
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| Preceded by | John Quincy Adams |
| Succeeded by | Martin Van Buren |
| United States Senator from Tennessee | |
| In office March 4, 1823 – October 14, 1825 | |
| Preceded by | John Williams |
| Succeeded by | Hugh Lawson White |
| In office September 26, 1797 – April 1, 1798 | |
| Preceded by | William Cocke |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Smith |
| Federal Military Commissioner of Florida | |
| In office March 10, 1821 – December 31, 1821 | |
| Appointed by | James Monroe |
| Preceded by |
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| Succeeded by | William Pope Duval (as Territorial Governor) |
| Justice of the Tennessee Superior Court | |
| In office June 1798 – June 1804 | |
| Appointed by | John Sevier |
| Preceded by | Howell Tatum |
| Succeeded by | John Overton |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's at-large district | |
| In office December 4, 1796 – September 26, 1797 | |
| Preceded by | James White (Delegate from the Southwest Territory) |
| Succeeded by | William C. C. Claiborne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 15, 1767 Waxhaw Settlement between North Carolina and South Carolina, British America |
| Died | June 8, 1845 (aged 78) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Resting place | The Hermitage |
| Political party | Democratic (1828–1845) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, including Lyncoya |
| Occupation |
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| Awards | |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Rank |
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| Unit | South Carolina Militia (1780–81) Tennessee Militia (1792–1821) United States Army (1814-1821) |
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Military career Presidential aspirations 7th President of the United States First term Second term Post-presidency  |
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Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States, serving from 1829 to 1837. Before his presidency, he gained fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. Often praised as an advocate for ordinary Americans and for his work in preserving the union of states, Jackson has also been criticized for his racial policies, particularly his treatment of Native Americans.
Jackson was born in the colonial Carolinas before the American Revolutionary War. He became a frontier lawyer and married Rachel Donelson Robards. He briefly served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, representing Tennessee. After resigning, he served as a justice on the Tennessee Superior Court from 1798 until 1804. Jackson purchased a property later known as the Hermitage, becoming a wealthy planter who owned hundreds of African American slaves during his lifetime. In 1801, he was appointed colonel of the Tennessee militia and was elected its commander. He led troops during the Creek War of 1813–1814, winning the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and negotiating the Treaty of Fort Jackson that required the indigenous Creek population to surrender vast tracts of present-day Alabama and Georgia. In the concurrent war against the British, Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 made him a national hero. He later commanded U.S. forces in the First Seminole War, which led to the annexation of Florida from Spain. Jackson briefly served as Florida's first territorial governor before returning to the Senate. He ran for president in 1824. He won a plurality of the popular and electoral vote, but no candidate won the electoral majority. With the help of Henry Clay, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams in a contingent election. Jackson's supporters alleged that there was a "corrupt bargain" between Adams and Clay and began creating their own political organization that would eventually become the Democratic Party.
Jackson ran again in 1828, defeating Adams in a landslide. In 1830, he signed the Indian Removal Act. This act, which has been described as ethnic cleansing, displaced tens of thousands of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands east of the Mississippi and resulted in thousands of deaths. Jackson faced a challenge to the integrity of the federal union when South Carolina threatened to nullify a high protective tariff set by the federal government. He threatened the use of military force to enforce the tariff, but the crisis was defused when it was amended. In 1832, he vetoed a bill by Congress to reauthorize the Second Bank of the United States, arguing that it was a corrupt institution. After a lengthy struggle, the Bank was dismantled. In 1835, Jackson became the only president to pay off the national debt. He survived the first assassination attempt on a sitting president. In one of his final presidential acts, he recognized the Republic of Texas.
After leaving office, Jackson supported the presidencies of Martin Van Buren and James K. Polk, as well as the annexation of Texas. Jackson's legacy remains controversial, and opinions on his legacy are frequently polarized. Supporters characterize him as a defender of democracy and the Constitution, while critics point to his reputation as a demagogue who ignored the law when it suited him. Scholarly rankings of presidents historically rated Jackson's presidency as above average. Since the late 20th century, his reputation declined, and in the 21st century his placement in rankings of presidents fell.
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