History Lessons

Andrew Jackson was born in the Carolinas in the year 1767 where he grew up in a backwoods settlement and received a sporadic education. It was not until he was in his late teenage years that he dedicated himself to studying the law. For two years he dedicated his free time to reading everything he could about it and became an accomplished young lawyer in the state of Tennessee.

One flaw that Jackson had was his anger. He was very protective of his honor and the honor of the people he loved. If anyone were to say anything bad about him he would challenge them to duels or fight them were they stood. He killed a man who spoke badly against his wife Rachel.

However, this anger did not hurt his reputation too badly or decrease his popularity. He prospered very well as a lawyer and built for himself and his family a mansion known as the Hermitage located near Nashville, Tennessee. Because of his expertise he became the first man to be elected from the state of Tennessee to the House of Representatives and he was able to serve in the Senate for a brief time.

In 1824 some state political factions rallied around Jackson; by 1828 enough had joined “Old Hickory” to win numerous state elections and control of the Federal administration in Washington. In his first Annual Message to Congress, Jackson recommended eliminating the Electoral College. He also tried to democratize Federal officeholding. Already state machines were being built on patronage, and a New York Senator openly proclaimed “that to the victors belong the spoils. . . . ”

As national politics polarized around Jackson and his opposition, two parties grew out of the old Republican Party - the Democratic Republicans, or Democrats, adhering to Jackson; and the National Republicans, or Whigs, opposing him.

Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, and other leaders of Whig proclaimed themselves the defenders of the popular liberties and set themselves against Jackson. They created hostile cartoonists that made him look like a tyrant king who wanted nothing then to rule and control over the American people. There verbal attacks against him were not far off. It was known that Jackson did not look to Congress when making decisions - but would use the power to veto and his party leadership to take over command.

In January of 1832, while President Jackson was dining with friends at the White House, someone whispered to him that the Senate had rejected the nomination of Martin Van Buren as Minister to England. Jackson jumped to his feet and exclaimed, “By the Eternal! I’ll smash them!” So he did. His favorite, Van Buren, became Vice President, and succeeded to the Presidency when “Old Hickory” retired to the Hermitage, where he died in June 1845.