Introduction

Andrew Jackson is one of the most notable figures in the US history.  He is one of the most recognized social, political and a military leader whose contribution to the history of United States is enormous.  Andrew Jackson was born on 15th March 1767 by his immigrants’ parents Elizabeth and Hutchison Jackson. He was born in the Waxhaws region that straddles North Carolina and South Carolina few days after the death of his father. Jackson was captured at a tender age of 13 years during the American Revolutionary war since his parents were supporting the revolutionary cause, and he acted as a courier (Russell, 2010). He was orphaned at the age of 14 after his mother died of cholera. Though he was born in a poor household, Jackson made tremendous steps towards becoming one of the most influential Americans of his time. He also became the 7th American president after clinching the seat with the most populous vote in the American history.

Who is Andrew Jackson?

Andrew Jackson was a son of poor Scottish-Irish immigrants born in South Carolina. The young Jackson joined a local militia at the age of 13 where he acted as a courier during the American Revolutionary War. He was subjected to captivity during his early years by the Britons. During this period, Jackson lost his two brothers Robert and Hugh. Not long after the death of his brother, his mother also succumbed to cholera in 1779 diseases thus leaving Jackson an orphan as his father had died few weeks before his birth.

After the death of his parents, Jackson was raised by his uncles. During his teenage life, Jackson attended a law school in Salisbury, North Carolina. The course was completed in 1787 and Andrew Jackson became a lawyer in Jonesborough an area which is a part of Tennessee. His influence grew every day and in 1796, Jackson was a member of the convention that established the Tennessee Constitution. It is also n the same year that he was elected Tennessee’s first representative in the U.S. House of Representative. Jackson’s political influence became more evident in the same year as he was elected to the Senate in 1798. However, he resigned after eight months in the office.

Andrew Jackson was not only a politician but was also a judge where he was appointed as Tennessee Supreme Court judge in 1798 where he served until 1804. It is also worth to note that Andrew Jackson was a merchant and a landowner. In 1804, he acquired an expansive plantation in Davidson County, Tennessee (near Nashville), called the Hermitage. Jackson used slaves to cultivate his plantation where he grew cotton.

Jackson in the military

Apart from being a politician, a trader, a judge and a merchant, Jackson was also a military leader. In 1801, Jackson was appointed as the commander of the Tennessee militia. One of his major achievements in the military field is the success he achieved in 1812 where he conquered Creek Indians at Horseshoe Bend. During this success, Jackson, and his troops managed to kill 800 warriors and procured 20 million acres of land.  After defeating the Creek nation, Jackson was promoted to the rank of the major general replacing General Thomas Flournoy in charge of seventh military district.

Jackson’s military career thrived well where he was dubbed as a national hero on 8th January 1815 after leading 5000 soldiers to defeat 7500 Britons in New Orleans.  His rising star was recognized by receiving the thanks of congress and a gold medal. His bravery in the war field made him popular among his troops who nicknamed him “Old Hickory” since they believed he was as tough as old hickory wood (Benson, 2015).

Jacksons star in the battlefield continued to shine as he overthrew the West Florida governor Jose Masot in the 1st Seminole between 1817-1819. Masot was allegedly assisting the Indians to fight against the Americans. Jackson with his troops also managed to capture Pensacola after overthrowing its governor. Through his efforts, Jackson managed to sign a treaty with Spain to cede Florida and was declared its governor where he acted in that capacity from March 1821 to December 1821.

Jackson’s political career

The tremendous success in the Jackson’s military career made Jackson a very popular person where interest to join politics was conceived. After resigning his first post in the Senate, Jackson was re-elected to the senate in 1822. By this time, his fame had spread like bushfire in many states in United States and most state factions rallied around him persuading him to run for presidency. In 1824, the Pennsylvania convention nominated Andrew Jackson to the post of U.S presidency which he accepted half-heartedly. By this time, the Democratic – Republican Party was the most popular party as people viewed it as the national party. The choice of Jackson was regarded as the best choice as the as he represented the people’s voice. Most American people had great hope in the leadership of Andrew Jackson. However, his nomination faced some critics especially from Crawford and Gallatin who described Jackson as a military leader who had total disregard for the constitution and thus becomes unfit for the presidency.

During the 1824 elections, Jackson had to face Crawford and John Quincy in the race to the white house. Despite Andrew Jackson being the most popular candidate, he lost the race to John Quincy Adams. However, the deal was termed as a corrupt bargain since the seat was exchanged by Henry Clay’s secretary of state seat. In protest to the deal, Jackson was again re-nominated for the presidency in 1825, three years before the 1828 elections. The nomination was also the cause of the split of the Democratic Party into two.

After the corrupt elections of 1824, Andrew Jackson laid plans for the ouster of Adams from the office of the president. In preparation for the 1828 election, Jackson resigned his post as the senator in October 1825 to campaign for presidency.  The Tennessee legislature was also active in the presidency race as it also nominated Jackson for the post f presidency. Jackson campaign team was a strong one that attracted vice president John C. Calhoun, Martin Van Buren and Thomas Ritchie forming a strong coalition (Wright, 2008).

The strong coalition with Jackson as its presidential candidate won the election with a landslide. After wining, Jackson made John C. Calhoun his vice president. During the campaign period, Jackson was regarded as a donkey by his opponents where critics and mockery were the order of the day. He was also nicknamed as ‘’Jackass.” The reference to the donkey leads to the Democratic Party to use it as the emblem of the party (Benson, 2015).

The choice of Jackson as the seventh president of the United States was regarded as a major step towards enhanced democracy. Jackson made an extraordinary move by becoming the first American President to invite the public to attend the inauguration ball at the white house. This increased his popularity since a huge crowd attended the ceremony earning him the nickname ‘’King Mob.” The choice of Jackson as the American president had great significance in United States politics since the center of political power shifted from the East to the West.

The choice of Jackson brought about strong rivalry between the opponents and the supporters of “Old Hickory” which had become a strong personality by then. This great rivalry brought about the emergence of Democrats (pro-Jacksonites) and the Whig Party (anti-Jacksonites lead by Daniel Webster). According to the members of the Whig party, they were defending popular liberties as opposed to the autocratic Jackson.

In 1832, Americans once again went to the ballot for the presidential elections and once again the incumbent Jackson was determined to retain the seat. This was the first election that used the National Party conventions. During this election, Jackson together with his running mate Martin Van Buren was on the race to contest against Henry Clay and his running mate John Sergeant. The campaign for this election was quite different from the one of 1828 which was more personal since this time round; the campaign was more issue based (Wright, 2008).

The main campaign issue during the 1828 campaign was the Bank of United States, Jackson’s use of spoil systems and his use of Veto. The issues of bank of the United States had resulted in a major crisis within Carolina. Jackson and his supporters were against the charter since they viewed as an enemy to the people.  On the other hand, Webster and Clay led the Congress for its recharger which was due to expire in 1832. Jackson seemed to fight for the rights of the common man and was strongly against the charter. Despite the strong opposition, Jackson secured re-election over Clay with over 56% of the popular vote and 219 out of 286 electoral votes.

Jackson’s presidency

Jackson’s presidency had both the positive and negative side of it. It is understood that Jackson failed to submit to Congress in policy-making. He is also the first American president to assume command with his power veto. Americans regarded Jackson as the King of democracy resulting in the emergence of the Jacksonian democracy. The Jackson’s presidency believed in giving power to the elect president and the vice president to the American population by abolishing the Electoral College. This earned him the nickname “people’s president.” It is also during his presidency that the spoils systems which involved rotation office holders.

During the Jacksons presidency, it is believed that he became the first American president who vetoed more bills than all of his predecessors. His leadership also believed in rewarding loyalty and being appealing to the general public.  It is also believed that Jackson relied heavily on an informal group of advisors (kitchen cabinet) to set policies neglecting his cabinet (Benson, 2015).

The major source of conflict during the Jacksons presidency is the battle between him and the Second Bank of United States. According to Jackson, the bank was a private corporation that served as a government –sponsored monopoly. As a result, Jackson put up a spirited fight against the bank, vetoing its re-charter bill and charging it with disproportionate economic privilege. This move had different reactions from the public, but a majority of the American public supported it as he won re-election in 1832.

Another important achievement of the Jacksons presidency is the elimination of the national debt for the first time. It is during his tenure in office that corruption and embezzling of funds by public officials were dealt with accordingly. The rate of federal involvement, my internal improvements were also significantly slowed during g his presidency (Jaffa, 2009).

The Jacksons leadership was also associated with intense discrimination between the Native Americans and the immigrants. This brought about the major controversies experienced during his tenure in office. Though Jackson had negotiated treaties and removal policies long before his presidency, historians often lay blame with him for sufferings such as the Trail of Tears, the forced relocation westward of an estimated 15,000 Cherokee Indians (Welch, 2012)

It is also during Jackson’s presidency that sectional issues began to arise.  It is during this reign that the southern states wished to preserve state rights. The issue of tariffs had made them upset, in 1832, the signing of the moderate tariff made the South Carolina to feel that they had the right through nullification and ignored it. Jackson chest thumped against Carolina and threatened to use military to enforce the tariff. However, in 1833, a compromise tariff was enacted that helped mollify the sectional differences for a time (Stone & Kuznick, 2012).

After his presidency, Jackson had his preferred successor Martin Van Buren who defeated Whig candidate William Henry Harrison during the 1836 elections. This was a great indicator that the Old Hickory had become popular among the Americans. Jackson asserted that he had left the party more popular than when he entered it. The Democratic Party had become a strong party within the politics of United States thus becoming a strong force in the American politics. After retiring as a president, he retired in his Hermitage home where he died in 1845 though he actively remained in politics until his death.

Andrew Jackson’s legacy

Andrew Jackson can be regarded as one of the most influential people in the American history. Compared with his predecessors Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln Jackson made history by becoming the first westerner to get to the white house despite being orphaned at a tender age and being born in a poor family. By so doing, Jackson became a symbol of democracy and the founder of Democratic Party which became a tremendous force in American politics. During his two-term presidency, he changed presidency from being an administrator to a popular tribune. He gave the powers of the president and those of his deputy back to the people.

In the military field, Jackson also had a lot to be remembered for. During the revolutionary war, he was involved as a courier which resulted to him being in captivity. The conquering of the New Orleans in January 1815 and the previous victories against the Creek Indians had won Jackson plaudits from different quarters. This made him be promoted to the rank of the major general. During his reign as the major general, Americans were able to secure land, as well as slaves. It is also through his efforts that Spain ceded Florida after overthrowing the government of governor Mosat. This provided an opportunity for Jackson to serve as a governor (Benson, 2015).

Strong-willed and sharp-tempered, a fierce patriot and rabid partisan, Jackson was always controversial, both as a general and as President. He personalized disputes and demonized opponents. In a notorious episode, Jackson broke open his first Cabinet and forced a rupture with Vice-President John C. Calhoun by championing the character of Peggy Eaton, the vivacious and controversial wife of the secretary of war. Behind Jackson’s towering rages often lay shrewd calculation of their political effects (Bronski, 2011).

It is also important to embrace the fact that Jackson changed the style of politics in America. He strengthened himself against the Congress by forging direct links with the American people. Jackson was a strong advocate of the general public, and this was evidenced by inviting public to the inauguration ceremony in the white house. He portrayed himself as a people’s servant rather than an executive. However, it is also imperative to understand that in other ways he expanded the presidential authority. He dominated his cabinet, forcing out members who would not execute his commands. It is also his presidency where use of kitchen cabinet to make important public policies was implemented. This portrayed him as an autocrat who had total disrespect for institutions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to note that Andrew Jackson has made a significant impact to the history of United States. Throughout his life as a lawyer, a judge, a military commander and a politician, Jackson has made a great contribution to the American history. As a military commander, Jackson made great history by conquering almost every battle he was involved in. The major achievements being the victory against the New Orleans and the Spanish ceding Florida.

However, it is important to understand that the greatest contribution by Jackson is made in his political career. He can be regarded as one of the most successful politicians in the American history by becoming the first Westerner president. Jackson is also regarded as one of the greatest presidents because he is portrayed as being concerned with the plight of the common man. Since he has great concern for the common man, Jackson also made huge progress in defining democracy in United States. His efforts brought about the comparison between the Jeffersonian and the Jacksonian democracy which are great aspects in the American history. This democracy brought about the two- party system in American politics bringing about the Whig and the Democratic Party. Andrew Jackson is also regarded as the first president to embrace the powers of the president truly (Benson, 2015).

References

Andrew Jackson. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2015, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/andrewjackson

Benson, L. (2015). The Concept of Jacksonian Democracy. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Bronski, M. (2011). A queer history of the United States. Boston: Beacon Press.

Dornbush, K. (n.d.). AP U.S. history 2015.

Jaffa, H. (2009). Crisis of the house divided: An interpretation of the issues in the Lincoln-Douglas debates (50th anniversary ed.). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Miller Center. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2015, from http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/jackson/essays/biography/1

Nullification Crisis – AP U.S. History Topic Outlines – Study Notes. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2015, from https://www.apstudynotes.org/us-history/topics/nullification-crisis-/

Russell, T. (2010). A renegade history of the United States. New York: Free Press.

Stone, O., & Kuznick, P. (2012). The untold history of the United States. New York: Gallery Books.

Welch, S. (2012). Understanding American government (13th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Wright, G. (2008). USA. London: Reaktion.

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