Note Type
Historical NoteNote
Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), also known as "Old Hickory" was the 7th President of the United States. He was born in the Carolinas and received some education, but he became a lawyer and Judge in Tennessee. He prospered enough in the Nashville area to build the Hermitage, now a National Landmark just east of Nashville. As a major general in the War of 1812, he defeated the British at New Orleans. Though defeated in his bid for the presidency in 1824, he won the election in 1828 and again in 1832. During his tenure as President, the national political parties were formed, the Democratic Party, that supported Jackson, and the anti-Jacksonians, the Whigs. Jackson did not defer to Congress as had previous Presidents and was thus portrayed by cartoonists as King Andrew I. He vetoed the recharter bill for the Second Bank of the U.S. and when South Carolina attempted to nullify a protective tariff, Jackson ordered armed forces to Charleston. Because of a compromise, violence and military action were avoided. Jackson also instigated the forced removal of Native Americans from the Southeast, a portion of which became known as the Trail of Tears. Jackson supported Martin Van Buren as his replacement, angering some of his Tennessee supporters who supported Hugh Lawson White, a Presidential candidate from his home state. Jackson retired to the Hermitage and died there in June 1845.