Key Messages
Exploring the Life of President Andrew Jackson: A Revolutionary Who Championed Liberty
Andrew Jackson was a force to be reckoned with in the world of US presidents.
Although he’s one of the most controversial figures to ever hold office, there is no denying he left his fingerprint on America forever.
From challenging his foes to duels and outmaneuvering a larger British troop with an army of his own, it’s easy to see how Jackson had a revolutionary attitude towards politics.
He stood for protecting Americans’ liberty from special interests and corruption—an idea that was quite revolutionary at the time.
Everyone was encouraged to take part in the dialogue during “Big Block of Cheese Day,” where visitors would eat a two-ton block of cheese in the White House foyer while asking questions and sharing personal opinion with President Jackson himself!
To really understand this iconic president, we have to dive into his life and see how he changed American politics forever.
With his use of veto power, Andrew Jackson has become one of the most influential presidents in United States history.
Andrew Jackson Overcame a Tragic Upbringing to Find Love and Success
The life of Andrew Jackson was filled with sorrow, but also love.
As a child, he was orphaned during the Revolutionary War and lost both his parents and older brothers.
He left his hometown of Waxhaw, North Carolina never to return.
Despite all the hardships he faced on his journey to adulthood, Andrew became a lawyer who made a name for himself and rose to fame by the age of 21.
His bold, brash character earned him admiration and respect from many people who were drawn to him.
Jackson then met Rachel Donelson, daughter of a well-established family in Tennessee’s frontier at that time.
She was trying to escape an abusive marriage so he stepped in to help her petition for a divorce which eventually became official in 1791..
The couple soon married before it became final: an act considered romantic but also one that came back to haunt them later on in life.
Nevertheless, Andrew Jackson ultimately found the love of his life and established himself as a prominent lawyer.
The Legacy of General Andrew Jackson: Bravely Defending Love and Freedom on the American Frontier
Before becoming president, Andrew Jackson had earned quite a reputation for himself.
From standing up to General John Sevier of Tennessee in 1803 to his infamous duel with Charles Dickinson in 1806, Jackson was known for boldly defending the honor of both his wife and friends.
He wouldn’t think twice about drawing a gun on anyone who said something he found offensive and had no qualms about taking an insult too far–literally.
But it wasn’t just his inclination towards violence that made Jackson such an interesting character; during the War of 1812, he led the South against the British and secured victory at New Orleans by imposing martial law on the city’s leaders.
His strategic tactics earned him acclaim as a hero and confirmed Jackson’s position as one of America’s most colorful characters.
The Price of Fame: How Grief and Rumors Set Andrew Jackson on the Path to Presidency
Andrew Jackson was a great military leader and hero, famous for his victories in the War of 1812 and the Battle of New Orleans.
This fame would eventually transition into political currency when he ran for the presidency.
Jackson leveraged his military recognition to run for office, even though he lost to John Quincy Adams in 1824 and was attacked by Adams’ camp who questioned Jackson’s marriage as well as his character.
But that didn’t keep him down, and in 1828 he won the election and became President-elect of the United States.
The path to the presidency was not an easy one for Jackson; tragedy struck when his wife Rachel suffered a heart attack due to humiliation from slanderous rumors about her spread by Adams’ supporters, leaving Jackson heartbroken but supported by Rachel’s family.
Jackson’s Battle to Maintain a Unified Nation Against the Advocates of States’ Rights
When Andrew Jackson came into office as president in 1829, he had a lot of goals to accomplish.
But this ambition was complicated by a major political issue – the rights of the Southern states.
The root cause of this conflict stemmed from South Carolina’s efforts to nullify certain congressional laws (such as the tariff law pertaining to cotton that passed in 1828) and advocates for this cause included powerful people like Senator Henry Clay and John C.
Calhoun, vice president during Jackson’s first term.
Meanwhile, President Jackson was determined to keep America unified and saw nullification as a threat due to its contradiction with one of America’s founding ideals.
He did sympathize with the plight of the Southern states but wanted them to pursue their grievances through established means such as legislative or judicial procedures.
It was clear that finding answers to these questions would be one of major struggles faced by President Jackson while leading the nation.
Jackson’s Tough Stance on States’ Rights, Native Americans, and Veto Power Changed the American Political Landscape
Apart from the divisive states’ rights issue, President Jackson had his hands full with a variety of other tough issues.
One of them was how infrastructure and construction projects like canals and roads were to be funded – should individual States bear the burden or not? In Jackson’s view, it is best for the federal government to handle these projects and for the States to fund their own construction undertakings.
This became known as the Maysville veto when he used his presidential prerogative to reject a bill passed by Congress proposing assistance in building a road in Kentucky.
History was made that day, as this sets a new standard among American politics where presidents will exercise greater authority and power than what Congress would have had before then.
Jackson’s unwavering stance on native people also gave rise to heated debates.
With more lands opening up due to western expansion, many treaties had to be renegotiated – something that didn’t sit well with everybody.
That being said, Jackson stood firm on his belief that indigenous tribes should be relocated beyond the Mississippi River so as to allow US States better autonomy within American boundaries without compromising on any sovereignty matters of native people – even if he did believe that resettlement would ultimately benefit them in one way or another.
Jackson’s Unflinching Loyalty to a Scandal-Ridden Friend Redefined Presidential Power in the United States
One major issue that took up much of President Andrew Jackson’s first term in office was the on-going scandal surrounding Secretary of War John Eaton, and his wife Margaret.
As the scandal gained traction, it began to divide Jackson’s cabinet, with few standing by Jackson and the Eatons.
Jackson held firm in his loyalty towards his friends however, even when it meant sacrificing his own popularity.
However, the Eaton scandal overshadowed other major issues that Jackson was dealing with at the time, primarily surrounding states’ rights and nullification debates.
His opponents were only too happy to use this controversy as fuel for their arguments against Jackson, driving a further wedge between competing parties once aligned with the president.
Even Andrew Donelson and Emily Donelson — who acted as senior advisor and hostess respectively — were no longer welcomed in the White House due to their involvement with this public backlash against the Eatons.
Jackson Saves His Presidency and Avoids a Civil War with Smart Diplomacy
In a bold move, President Jackson showed he was not afraid to take risks by completely cleaning house in the White House.
In order to put an end to the feud between Eaton and Donelson and unify his administration, he removed both Van Buren and Eaton from their positions and brought in a fresh new cabinet.
This allowed him to focus on the increasingly urgent crisis of nullification.
A tariff-reform bill moved through Congress as Jackson received reports from American diplomat Joel Poinsett about South Carolina forming a state militia in case things went wrong.
The Unionists feared fighting might erupt at any moment and needed arms, so Jackson immediatly provided them with supplies they needed.
With all sides debating the tariff-reform bill at the beginning of 1833, rationality prevailed and tariffs were lowered but this would never fully satisfy South Carolina’s demands.
Jackson’s Fight Against the Bank of the United States Showed His Commitment to Speaking Up for the People
Throughout his second term in office, President Andrew Jackson successfully challenged the power of the US Bank.
As he knew it was a financial institution that held the country’s federal deposits and controlled a large portion of its finances, Jackson saw that certain politicians were close with Bank officials who had tremendous sway over votes in the House of Representatives.
This meant they could strongly influence the outcomes of state and federal elections – which clashed heavily with Jackson’s goal of acting in the best interest of the public.
By 1833, he had decided to take action by vetoing any bill that would recharter The Bank – and by drastically reducing their influence on American politics.
Even though there were some critics who likened him to Julius Caesar instead of George Washington for doing this, America ultimately ended up better off due to this bold move.
On April 4, 1834, all funds from The US Bank were transferred to state banks after a decisive victory became sealed in Congress – and today presidents are expected to maintain this tradition set forth by Jackson himself all those years ago.
The Miracle of Andrew Jackson’s Failed Assassination Attempts
During his second term as President of the United States, Andrew Jackson faced both a formal reprimand from the Senate, and two attempted assassination attempts.
These events illustrate the hard road Jackson had to travel in order to protect and strengthen the office of president.
The censure came about due to Jackson’s battle against the Bank of the United States and his opponents pushing for a formal reprimand from the Senate due to what they saw as overstepping his authority in this matter.
Twenty-six Senators voted in favor of censuring him, with only twenty voting against.
Meanwhile, two would-be assassins threatened Jackson’s safety during his presidency.
The first was an ex-Navy officer who blamed him for losing his job and tried to attack him on a steamboat in 1833.
However, thanks to Andrew Donelson placing himself between them, no harm was done.
More remarkable still is that Richard Lawrence—a mentally ill man claiming he was King of England—tried again on January 30th 1835 by drawing two pistols on Jackson at a funeral; yet, despite both proving workable when later tested, neither managed to fire at their intended target!
Andrew Jackson’s Challenges to Presidential Censure and Close Call with War Over France Debt
Andrew Jackson faced a couple of major challenges as he served out his second term as president of the United States.
The first challenge was preserving his legacy by challenging a censure made by the Senate towards him.
To ensure his legacy was left unblemished, Jackson formally challenged the decision in a response entitled “Protest” and received support from the Senate to lift the reprimand.
The second challenge came when he received news from France on the same day as the censure.
France had decided not to honor an existing three-year-old treaty with the United States and said they would no longer pay a debt of $5 million.
This led to tensions between two nations and eventually required Britain to step in to settle matters due to America threatening a naval blockade against France and the countries drawing close to war.
Finally, Louis Philippe, who admitted defeat, promised that France would honor the debt at last.
Andrew Jackson’s Complex Legacy: Charismatic Leader and Defender of Liberty, but Oppressor of Native Americans and Slaves
The legacy of Andrew Jackson is controversial, to say the least.
But one thing nobody can deny is the lasting impact he made on American politics.
During his tenure as president, he initiated decisions that changed the power of the presidency forever.
He also created a fierce political movement with Henry Clay establishing a new party out of backlash against his actions—the Whig Party.
Despite this groundbreaking impression on U.S history, many of Jackson’s approaches were not free from controversy and condemnation.
His mistreatment of Native Americans and slaves was nothing to be proud of, especially regarding his approval towards anti-slavery writings and allowance for cash payment in return for whipping runaway slaves.
Furthermore, when Martin Van Buren took office after him, Jackson’s policy of Indian Removal became an atrocity—known as the “Trail of Tears”—which displaced 16000 Cherokee people and killed 4000 during their forced migration westward.
Nevertheless, despite his obvious mistakes, there is no denying that Andrew Jackson transformed the role of presidential power set into motion by him will remain as part of our nation’s history forever.
His passion for liberty inspired Clinton Truman years later and served as an inspiration to many others around America going forward…even if it didn’t extend to all people in America yet.
Wrap Up
The final message in the book American Lion is that Andrew Jackson was the very first modern American president.
Unlike other presidents before him, he determinedly challenged Congress to uphold liberty for all Americans.
He also spoke publicly about this issue, pointing out its importance and his commitment to it.
Ultimately, Andrew Jackson’s efforts demonstrated his dedication to putting the people of America and their individual rights first – a hallmark of a modern president.
