Let me introduce you to Andrew Jackson.
He was a great American lawyer, general, planter, and also a statesman.
This amazing person even served as the seventh president of the U.S.A from 1829 to 1837.
Let us take a look at his life and achievements😲!!
Amazing Andrew Jackson Facts
Andrew Jackson: Explore his birth secrets
Hey, there, little fact lovers,
Did you know that this famous person was born in the Waxhaws region of the Carolinas?
Andrew Jackson came into the world on March 15, 1767. However, his exact birthplace is unclear.
His mom was Elizabeth Hutchinson, and his dad was Andrew Jackson. Both of them were Presbyterians who had emigrated in 1765 from Ulster, Ireland.
Andrew didn’t see his father
It is quite a really unfortunate fact!
Jackson’s father 👨 died at the age of 29 in February 1767.
He faced a logging accident while clearing land and died just three weeks before Andrew was born.
So, Elizabeth and her three sons moved in with her brother-in-law and sister, James and Jane.
Jackson lost his family during the American War of Independence
Have you heard this unfortunate fact about Jackson?
Andrew’s older brother Hugh Jackson died during the Battle of Stono Ferro. This battle took place on June 1779.
Both Andrew and his brother Robert caught smallpox while in British captivity, and Robert eventually died.
Their mother, Elizabeth, later caught cholera while she was kept as a prisoner by the British. She had to attend the Americans.
She also died from the ailment, and Andrew held the British responsible for his family’s death.
This resulted in Andrew’s lifelong hatred for the British.
Jackson personally suffered at the hands of the British
Andrew and his brother Robert worked as couriers for the Continental Army. They had to deliver mail and other packages to and from the troops.
In 1781, they were captured by the British, who forced Jackson to do menial labor.
Particularly, they even assigned him to work as a personal servant to a British officer.
So, he did tasks like shining shoes 👞. When Jackson refused to follow his orders, the officer slashed at him with his sword 🗡️.
Thus, Andrew got scars on his hands and head.
Andrew Jackson: Know about a notorious gambler
Did you know this amazing fact about Andrew Jackson?
Jackson was quite fond of wagering; thus, he liked to place bets on cards, dice, and even cockfights 🐓.
When he was a teenager, Jackson gambled away all of his grandfather’s inheritance on a trip to South Carolina’s Charleston.
Also, Jackson had a strong passion for racing and wagering on horses.
Jackson married his wife while she was not divorced
Want to explore an eyebrow-raising fact about Jackson?? Here it is…
When Jackson first met Rachel Donelson, she was already married to Lewis Robards.
Robards was quite famous for marital violence, which resulted in his separation from Rachel in 1790.
Rachel filed for an official divorce before she married 👰♀️ Jackson in 1791. However, the divorce was not finalized yet before the marriage. This made their marriage illegal and bigamous.
After the divorce was finally completed in 1794, Jackson and Rachel had a second ceremony.
Once, Jackson fought a duel over his wife
Jackson’s unusual marriage made it a target for his enemies! In 1806, Charles Dickinson published a newspaper 📰 article attacking Jackson over his marriage with Rachel!
Jackson responded by challenging Dickinson to a duel! In that, Dickinson shoots first and almost kills Jackson!
The bullet landed quite close to Jackson’s heart, and hence, doctors refused to remove it.
While Dickinson could not kill Jackson, Jackson was not so clumsy. He shot Dickinson dead!
This made Jackson quite famous for his vengeance and violence and even left him as a social outcast for some time.
The circumstances around Jackson’s marriage: It was not uncommon on the frontier
I am really amazed to explore this fact about Andrew Jackson and his time! Want to know?
The uncertain and rough nature of life out on the frontier meant that formality did not have that much importance!
The distance between the centers of formal authority and government and the frontier emphasized it even more.
Actually, when it came to matters of marriage and divorce, general recognition by the couple’s community was quite sufficient.
During the War of 1812: Andrew Jackson served as a general for the U.S.A.
This great war resulted from British diplomacy making light of the Americans’ interest in North America. Another reason was their support for anti-American native chefs like Tecumesh.
The people of America even wanted to reduce pain and Britain’s continued presence in North America, especially in Florida and Canada!
During the War, Jackson immediately offered his services and more than 2000 volunteers to the federal government.
However, then-President Madison delaying accepting them resulted in Jackson’s opposition to former US President Jefferson in the Burr Case.
Jackson himself was involved in Burr’s treason case
Aaron Burr served as the Vice-President of the US, when Thomas Jefferson was the President.
In 1806, Burr planned to launch a campaign to get control over Florida from the Spanish!
This plan was even supported by Jackson! Surprised??
Jackson offered to provide supplies, boats, and other support for the expedition. However, later he softened his stance after learning Burr’s other plans!
Those plans included conquering New Orleans and parts of Louisiana and eventually creating a new empire under Burr!
Thus, Jackson became a witness in Burr’s treason trial. However, Burr was cleared of all charges!
Jackson paved the way for the U.S.A to conquer Florida
If you love to explore historical facts just like me, then you will surely love this wonderful fact about Andrew Jackson!!
Between 1816 and 1818, Jackson crushed the Seminole Indians, along with their Spanish allies.
In the process, he found and even executed British agents who were working behind the scenes in Florida. This resulted in a diplomatic incident with Britain.
Despite that, finally, Spain was forced by Jackson’s victories to sell Florida to the U.S.A. in 1819.
Andrew Jackson fought against Spain, Britain, and their allies
Jackson fought against a group of Creek Indians known as the Red Sticks!
They stood against the U.S.A, unlike their fellow Creeks!
In a campaign from January 1813 to November 1814, Jackson and his men forced the British to retreat and the Spanish to surrender.
Moreover, the Creeks were also forced to surrender a large amount of land, today known as Georgia and Alabama, to the U.S.A.
Another amazing thing is that Jackson’s own troops included a large number of Creeks opposed to the Red Sticks! Really interesting, isn’t it?
Jackson had strong opinions as the President of the U.S.A
Jackson was the Seventh President of the U.S.A. after winning the Presidential Elections in 1828.
He even held strong populist views and argued that government officials’ opinions mattered less than Public opinion!
He even opposed the binding authority of the Supreme Court and also argued that justices must stand for election rather than receiving appointments to their office.
In addition, Jackson called for the electoral college’s abolition, which resulted in many historians mentioning him as a person ahead of his time!!
Andrew Jackson’s defense of New Orleans: It marked the heights of his military career
In December 1814, the British sent a huge army and fleet of around 10,000 men to take New Orleans!
So, Jackson had to hold them off with just 5000 men. The battle lasted till January 1815, and as a result, the British retreated by losing more than 2000 men!!
In contrast, Jackson only lost his 71 men, and this amazing feat earned him a Congressional Gold Medal!
With his victory, the U.S.A. managed to gain an edge over the British in peace negotiations.
Jackson’s victory at New Orleans allowed the U.S.A to enjoy some gains over the British.
Andrew Jackson adopted Native American children
Did you know this wonderful secret about Jackson?
Andrew Jackson adopted three Native American children! Interesting right?
Andrew Junior🧒, Theodore, and Lyncoya were those kids; however, a little about Theodore’s origin and life has become known to history!
Meanwhile, Andrew Jr. was actually the son of Severn Donelson, Jackson’s brother-in-law, while Lyncoya was a Native American child. Lyncoya 👧 was saved by Jackson when she was a baby!
Jackson found Lyncoya in her dead mother’s arms after a battle between the US military and his tribe!
One of the most controversial parts of Jackson’s legacy: His policies toward indigenous people
Jackson wanted to move all his Native American tribes in the southern U.S.A. to the West. This eventually became the reservations. To implement this, Jackson negotiated 70 different treaties with the Native Americans!
Jackson even paid them to leave their lands. Those who refused to leave had to follow federal and state laws.
This resulted in an eruption of violence in the South, leading to the Trail of Tears!
Starting in 1830, those who refused to leave their historic lands were forced to leave with little to no supplies…so over 10,000 Native Americans died, and the relocations ended in 1850.
Andrew and his conflict with a bank
Andrew Jackson experienced conflict with the Second Bank of the United States. The bank 🏦 was chartered by former US President Madison to help rebuild the country’s economy after 1812!
Jackson saw the bank as a monopoly which can influence the US politics. So, he fought to eliminate its influence during his first term in office. This resulted in the bank support to Jackson’s opponent in the next election!
However, it only added to Jackson’s claim that the bank is working against the democratic procedure. This even resulted in Jackson’s sweeping reelection!
President Andrew Jackson: He nearly had to deal with a civil war
Have you heard this amazing fact about Jackson?
President Jackson nearly had to deal with a civil war, which resulted from what is still famous as the Tariff of Abominations!
It created a record quite high for imports and might have made it really hard for southern states to export their goods. Particularly, South Carolina threatened to secede if the tariff passed Congress!
This made Jackson to send federal troops to warm them against their plan. Finally, the prospect of the Civil War forced Congress to compromise on their tariff issue!
Andrew Jackson sponsored his successor to be the President of the U.S.A
I am really amazed to explore this unique fact about Jackson! Want to explore?
Andrew Jackson sponsored his vice-president, Martin van Buren as the President of the U.S.A. Buren agreed to continue to maintain Jackson’s policies.
This helped Jackson to continue to influence the country, even he didn’t run for more than two terms in office!
However, this split the Democratic Party over Jackson and Buren’s opposition to admitting Texas into the Union!
Andrew Jackson, the target of the first attempted presidential assassination
On January, 1835, when Jackson was leaving the U.S. Capitol, a house painter 🖼️, Richard Lawrence fired a pistol at Jackson from a feet away! The first shot was misfired, just similar to the second one!
An enraged Jackson charged the shooter with his cane as the shooter was subdued.
However, later investigators found that the pistols were working just fine! Isn’t it really surprising??
Jackson on American money
Nowadays, we can see Jackson’s face on the front of the $20 bill. Before, his face was appeared on other bills like the $5, $10, $20, and $10,000 bills💰.
Jackson died of tuberculosis, dropsy, and heart failure
On June 8, 1845, at the age of 78, Jackson left the world while being surrounded by his family and friends.
He was buried⚰️ in the same of his wife.
Summing up
Andrew Jackson……is your knowledge archive attractive with the information you gathered about him??
We have tried to collect as much information about him as possible…so that your treasure of knowledge is enhanced.
Happy reading journey in our boat😲!!
I’m a former teacher (and mother of Two Childs) with a background in child development. Here to help you with play-based learning activities for kids. ( Check my Next startup Cledemy.Com)
