How Did Andrew Jackson Rise To Fame And Fortune

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Jackson’s rise to fame and fortune was unparalleled among the major political leaders of his generation. Andrew Jackson was born on March 15th, 1767 in a small, rural town on the border of North and South Carolina called Waxhaws. He was born to Elizabeth Jackson, three weeks after Andrew Jackson Sr. had passed away. When the Revolutionary War came to the Carolinas only eleven years later, Jackson and his brothers volunteered to fight against British. However, only Andrew would survive the war. Approximately three years later, Jackson and his brother Robert were captured by the British. While held captive, Jackson was struck in the face for refusing to polish a British officer’s shoes. This gave Jackson a scar, one that would remain with …show more content…

Soon, both Jackson and his brother would get smallpox, and only one of them would survive (Wilentz, 17). Jackson’s mother negotiated for their freedom. While Andrew recovered, his mother went to Charleston to nurse wounded soldiers. However, she would catch a disease, and when Jackson was only fourteen. Depressed, the orphaned Jackson would move to Charleston to finish school and study law. After teaching at a local school, Jackson decided to become a lawyer. Soon, at the tender age of 20, he received his license to practice law. For the next two years, Jackson would practice. During a visit at a frontier fort, Jackson would been Rachel, a woman in a troubled marriage. They would officially marry in 1794. Although they would not have children of their own, Jackson adopted a child and named him Andrew Jackson Jr. In the 1790s, Jackson would help lay out the foundation for the state of Tennessee. He later became Tennessee’s first member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and was selected to be its U.S. Senator. However, Jackson would soon resign his seat due to financial troubles. When the war of 1812 was started, President Madison was offered Jackson’s services, but were rebuffed because of his association with Aaron …show more content…

However, approximately six months after the war started, Jackson was finally commissioned as a general and was ordered to lead 1,500 troops to southern Natchez in order to protect New Orleans. Later, in March of 1813, there was no more threats to New Orleans so Jackson and his troops were dismissed by the War Department without any compensation. This outraged Jackson and his troops, because they couldn’t get back to Tennessee. Jackson marched with his troops, and earned the nickname “Old Hickory” on the way home. A year later, Jackson met an orphaned Indian boy at the Battle of Talladega. Jackson adopted the boy, and named him Lyncoya. When Jackson returned from the military and Tennessee, he was able to garner support to run for the 1824 election, but he lost to John Quincy Adams. Unfazed however, he ran for presidency again in 1828. This time, Jackson defeated Adams to become the 7th president of the United States. Sadly, before Jackson entered the White House, his wife, Rachel, passed away. Andrew Jackson’s presidency is often thought of as the first modern presidency because his beliefs were representative of the peoples’. Some of his great achievements are that he prevented South Carolina from seceding from the Union in the Nullification Crisis and defeating the Creek nation in Alabama during the Creek War. However, everyone makes mistakes, and Jackson’s mistake was the Panic of 1837. Jackson’s failure though, made him realize his mistakes and