Right after Quincy Jones served as President of the United States, Andrew Jackson was elected as the seventh leader of the country, holding office from 1829 to 1837. Before becoming president, he served as the 1st territorial governor of the state of Florida, and then as a member of the United States House of Representatives, and the United States Senate, representing Tennessee.
Although he is most known for his presidency, Andrew Jackson was very popular before his election as president as he had served as the Major General of the United States Army, United States Volunteers, and the Tennessee Militia. Some of his battles include the American Revolution War, Battle of Negro Fort, and Battle of Pensacola. His political interests were diverse as he started as a Democratic-Republican before becoming a Jacksonian in 1825 and finally, a Democrat in 1828.
Who Is Andrew Jackson?
Andrew Jackson was born to a Scotch-Irish family on the 15th of March 1767 in the Carolinas. His parents were colonists named Andrew Hutchinson Jackson and Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson. They are Presbyterians who had migrated from modern-day Northern Ireland to North America in 1765, two years prior to the birth of their son.
When Andrew Sr. was barely 29 years old, he died from injuries sustained in a work-related accident. His demise, unfortunately, occurred just three weeks before his son was born. This means that Jr. never met his father and was raised alongside his two brothers; Hugh and Robert (who had come with the parents from North Ireland) by just his mother and other family members.
Andrew Sr. was not the only member of the Jackson family to have died while the young boy was growing up. On the 20th of June, 1779, his eldest brother Hugh died from heat exhaustion during the Revolution War. Thereafter, Andrew and Robert with the encouragement of their mother began to help the local militia as couriers. Due to acts of defiance and disobedience, however, they were detained as prisoners where they got exposed to and contacted smallpox disease.
Andrew Jackson’s mother Elizabeth eventually secured the release of her two sons and took her boys home. Robert died sometime later due to harsh weather conditions and the smallpox disease while Andrew was left in a critical state and had to be nursed closely. Subsequently, Elizabeth volunteered to care for American prisoners of war who had cholera. She later contacted the disease herself and died leaving her youngest son an orphan at the age of 14.
In his later years, Andrew Jackson moved to Salisbury, North Carolina where he studied law under lawyer Spruce Macay and was admitted into the North Carolina bar in September 1787. He later moved to Nashville, Tennessee becoming an attorney general in 1791 and later became the only U.S. Representative for Tennessee.
As the years rolled by, the United States was met with international conflict and there was fear that a war would soon commence. On the 18th of June 1812, Congress officially declared war on the United Kingdom. After the announcement, Jackson made it known to Washington that he would be able to offer volunteers for the war effort.
During the war, Andrew Jackson led an army of over two thousand volunteers to help defend the region of New Orleans against British attacks. He would come out victorious, winning a decisive victory over the British force. The battle ended with a total casualty count of 2,037 for the British and 71 for Jackson’s side. It was one of the last major battles of the War of 1812.
Having gained considerable plaudits for his performance during the wat, he ran in the 1824 presidential elections but lost to John Quincy Adams by a House of Representatives’ decision. He would run again in 1828, winning by a landslide after the floundering reign of Adams. Jackson would go on to become the seventh President of the United States, comfortably winning the next elections and serving two terms.
See Also: The Untold Truth of Abraham Williams, Tulsi Gabbard’s Husband
Why is He on the 20 Dollar Bill?
Andrew Jackson is one of the most studied persons in American History as historians are fascinated by his legacy and personality. He is described as a man of many friends and many enemies. His full biography was first written by James Parton after his death who in this book described him as a democratic autocrat, an atrocious saint, and an urban savage.
Alongside Thomas Jefferson, Jackson is regarded as the founder of the Democratic party and is honored in the party’s fundraising dinner called Jefferson-Jackson Day.
Still, as a form of honor and tribute, Andrew Jackson has appeared on multiple United States banknotes including the 5, 10, 20, and 10,000-dollar notes. The most recent appearance was on the 20-dollar note since 1928. In recent times, however, it was announced that an image of Harriet Tubman would replace his image on the front side of the 20-dollar bill.
