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Andrew Jackson was born in rural South Carolina in 1767, to a Scots-Irish family. He had little formal education and was self-educated. Jackson became a lawyer in Tennessee and married Rachel Donelson Robards. He served in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, representing Tennessee. Jackson won a decisive victory in the 1828 presidential election. As president, Jackson faced a threat of secession by South Carolina over the “Tariff of Abominations”. In 1835,
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Early Life and Education
Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, in the Waxhaws region on the border of North and South Carolina. Jackson’s parents were Scotch-Irish colonists who came to America two years before his birth. Jackson’s father died before he turned 14, and his mother died shortly thereafter. Jackson was left to fend for himself. He had little formal education, but he was an avid reader and learned a great deal from the books he read.
Andrew Jackson’s early life
Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, in the Waxhaw settlement, a farmer’s outpost in rural South Carolina. Jackson’s parents were Scots-Irish immigrants who came to America two years earlier. Jackson’s father died shortly before his birth, and Jackson grew up in a single-parent household with his mother and two brothers. Because his mother was a widowed woman of limited means, Jackson had to work for a living at an early age. He did not receive any formal education as a child, but he later became an avid reader and developed a strong command of the English language.
When he was 13 years old, Jackson’s mother arranged for him to work as an apprentice with a lawyer. After two years of study, Jackson passed the bar exam and began practicing law. In 1788, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he established a successful law practice.
In 1791, Jackson married Rachel Donelson Robards. The couple had two children who died in infancy. In 1806, they adopted orphans Andrew and Margaret Donelson.
Andrew Jackson’s education
Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, in the Waxhaws region straddling the border of North and South Carolina. Some controversy surrounds Jackson’s birthplace. Although he always maintained he was born in South Carolina, many scholars believe he was actually born in what is now Union County, North Carolina, since his parents had only recently moved there.
Jackson’s parents were Scots-Irish immigrants who came to America two years before his birth. His father, Andrew Jackson Sr., died shortly before Jackson’s birth. His mother, Elizabeth “Betty” Jackson, was left to raise her three sons and daughter on her own.
Betty Jackson died when her son Andrew was 14. He and his brothers were then sent to live with an uncle in Tennessee.
In 1788, at the age of 21, Jackson married Rachel Donelson Robards. The couple had met three years earlier while Rachel was still married to another man. Her first husband eventually divorced her, but the scandal surrounding the incident would follow both Rachel and Andrew for the rest of their lives.
Career
Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, in the Waxhaws region between South Carolina and North Carolina. Jackson’s parents were Scotch-Irish colonists who came to America in 1765. Jackson’s father died shortly before Jackson’s birth, and his mother died in 1781, when he was 14. As a result, Jackson was raised by his uncle. Jackson had very little formal education and was self-educated.
Andrew Jackson’s military career
Andrew Jackson’s military career began in earnest when he was appointed as a major general in the Tennessee militia in 1814. He gained valuable experience leading troops during the War of 1812, including a famous victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans. In 1817, Jackson was appointed as a major general in the U.S. Army, and he commanded U.S. troops who invaded Spain’s colony of Florida in 1818. He also led an army against the Seminole Indians in Florida in 1817-1818.
Andrew Jackson’s political career
Andrew Jackson was born in 1767 in the Waxhaw settlement, a frontier community in the Carolinas. He had little formal education but was tutored at home and became a lawyer in Tennessee. In 1796, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served until 1797. He then became a senator from Tennessee (1797-1798) before returning to the House (1798-1804). In 1803, Jackson was appointed a judge on the Tennessee Supreme Court, a position he held until 1804.
In 1814, Jackson captured Mobile during the War of 1812 and defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814. These military successes catapulted him to national fame, and he became known as “Old Hickory” for his toughness on the battlefield. In 1815, Jackson again proved his military prowess when he defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans.
After the War of 1812, Jackson returned to Tennessee and resumed his law practice. In 1823, he was appointed governor of Florida Territory. He returned to Tennessee in 1825 and retired from public life until he was nominated for president by the Democratic Party in 1828.
Later Life
Jackson turned to politics in the 1790s. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate from Tennessee. In 1801, Jackson became a judge on the Tennessee Supreme Court. He resigned from the court in 1804 to lead Tennessee militia troops in the fight against the Creeks in the War of 1812.
Andrew Jackson’s later life
Jackson’s wife, Rachel, died shortly after his inauguration in 1828. Jackson blamed John C. Calhoun and other members of his wife’s family for her death, and their relationship never recovered. In the late 1820s, Jackson became close friends with Martin Van Buren, who served as his political protégé; the two men nicknamed each other “Old Hickory” and “Little Magician”, respectively. Jackson appointed Van Buren as Minister to Great Britain in 1831 in an effort to remove him from domestic politics during the Petticoat Affair, which saw Van Buren’s wife criticized for her role in social events at the Jackson residence. Jackson recalled Van Buren from London in 1832 and made him his Secretary of State; when Vice President Calhoun resigned in December 1832 over disagreements with Jackson’s policies, Jackson selected Van Buren as his running mate for the 1832 election.
Andrew Jackson’s death
After a lengthy battle with dropsy, Jackson died at the Hermitage on June 8, 1845. His funeral was conducted by the Masonic Lodge of Tennessee, and he was buried on the Hermitage grounds. In his will, Jackson directed that upon Sarah’s death she be buried next to him, and she was interred beside him in 1887.