Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson
Portrait c. 1835
7th President of the United States
In office March 4, 1829 – March 4, 1837
Vice President	John C. Calhoun (1829–1832) None (1832–1833)[a] Martin Van Buren (1833–1837)
Preceded by	John Quincy Adams
Succeeded by	Martin Van Buren
United States Senator from Tennessee
In office March 4, 1823 – October 14, 1825
Preceded by	John Williams
Succeeded by	Hugh Lawson White
In office September 26, 1797 – April 1, 1798
Preceded by	William Cocke
Succeeded by	Daniel Smith
Federal Military Commissioner of Florida
In office March 10, 1821 – December 31, 1821
Appointed by	James Monroe
Preceded by	José María Coppinger (Spanish East Florida) José María Callava (Spanish West Florida)
Succeeded by	William Pope Duval (as Territorial Governor)
Justice of the Tennessee Superior Court
In office June 1798 – June 1804
Preceded by	Howell Tatum
Succeeded by	John Overton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's at-large district
In office December 4, 1796 – September 26, 1797
Preceded by	James White (Delegate from the Southwest Territory)
Succeeded by	William C. C. Claiborne
Personal details
Born	(1767-03-15)March 15, 1767 Waxhaw Settlement between North Carolina and South Carolina, British America
Died	June 8, 1845(1845-06-08) (aged 78) Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Resting place	The Hermitage
Political party	Democratic (1828–1845)
Other political affiliations	Democratic-Republican (before 1825) Jacksonian (1825–1828)
Spouse	Rachel Donelson ​ ​ (m. 1794; died 1828)​
Children	2, including Lyncoya
Occupation	Politician lawyer general
Awards	Congressional Gold Medal Thanks of Congress
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Rank	Major general (U.S. Army) Major general (U.S. Volunteers) Major general (Tennessee militia)
Unit	South Carolina Militia (1780–81) Tennessee Militia (1792–1821) United States Army (1814-1821)
Battles/wars	See list American Revolutionary War Battle of Hanging Rock Creek War Battle of Talladega Battles of Emuckfaw and Enotachopo Creek Battle of Horseshoe Bend War of 1812 Battle of Pensacola Battle of New Orleans First Seminole War Capture of St. Marks Siege of Fort Barrancas

Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before his presidency, he gained fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. Often praised as an advocate for ordinary Americans and for his work in preserving the union of states, Jackson has also been criticized for his racial policies, particularly his treatment of Native Americans.

Jackson was born in the colonial Carolinas before the American Revolutionary War. He became a frontier lawyer and married Rachel Donelson Robards. He briefly served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, representing Tennessee. After resigning, he served as a justice on the Tennessee Superior Court from 1798 until 1804. Jackson purchased a property later known as the Hermitage, becoming a wealthy planter who owned hundreds of African-American slaves during his lifetime. In 1801, he was appointed colonel of the Tennessee militia and was elected its commander. He led troops during the Creek War of 1813–1814, winning the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and negotiating the Treaty of Fort Jackson that required the indigenous Creek population to surrender vast tracts of present-day Alabama and Georgia. In the concurrent war against the British, Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 made him a national hero. He later commanded U.S. forces in the First Seminole War, which led to the annexation of Florida from Spain. Jackson briefly served as Florida's first territorial governor before returning to the Senate. He ran for president in 1824. He won a plurality of the popular and electoral vote, but no candidate won the electoral majority. With the help of Henry Clay, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams in a contingent election. Jackson's supporters alleged that there was a "corrupt bargain" between Adams and Clay and began creating their own political organization that would eventually become the Democratic Party.

Jackson ran again in 1828, defeating Adams in a landslide. In 1830, he signed the Indian Removal Act. This act, which has been described as ethnic cleansing, displaced tens of thousands of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands east of the Mississippi and resulted in thousands of deaths. Jackson faced a challenge to the integrity of the federal union when South Carolina threatened to nullify a high protective tariff set by the federal government. He threatened the use of military force to enforce the tariff, but the crisis was defused when it was amended. In 1832, he vetoed a bill by Congress to reauthorize the Second Bank of the United States, arguing that it was a corrupt institution. After a lengthy struggle, the Bank was dismantled. In 1835, Jackson became the only president to pay off the national debt. He survived the first assassination attempt on a sitting president. In one of his final presidential acts, he recognized the Republic of Texas.

After leaving office, Jackson supported the presidencies of Martin Van Buren and James K. Polk, as well as the annexation of Texas. Jackson's legacy remains controversial, and opinions are frequently polarized. Supporters characterize him as a defender of democracy and the Constitution, while critics point to his reputation as a demagogue who ignored the law when it suited him. Jackson's presidency has consistently been ranked as above average, although his reputation has declined since the late 20th century.
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