Throughout its history the United States has had forty-four presidents. From Washington to Obama, America has seen many good men take the office of executive officer. Of these forty-three men some have stood out above the rest. (Grover Cleveland was President twice.) Men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan have became historic heroes while others like Rutherford Hayes, Herbert Hoover and Martin Van Buren have been remembered negatively or haven’t been remembered at all. One of the men who has left his mark on the American Presidency and American history itself is Andrew Jackson.
Jackson was born in 1767 in the Carolinas. He survived the American Revolution in which he was abused by British officers. He served as a Senator and Representative in the US Congress, representing Tennessee during the 1790s. During the War of 1812 Jackson led the US army against in the Native American Creek nation in Mississippi. He also dealt the British a resounding defeat in the last battle of the war at New Orleans. After the war he invaded Spanish-controlled Florida and served as the Military Governor of that territory.
He was elected President of the United States in 1828 despite running against John Quincy Adams in 1824 and losing. During his two terms Jackson made some controversial decisions. These included declaring “war” on the Second Bank of the United States, the national bank and passing the Indian Removal Act. He was popular with the people and was hailed as the iconic “common man”. It is quite possible to say that no other President connected so well with the American people until Ronald Reagan’s administration in the 1980s. Jackson’s policies would dominate American politics so much that the period of time surrounding his administration is called the “Jacksonian Era”.
Here are some quotes from this giant of American politics:
“Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error.”
“The Bible is the Rock on which this Republic rests.”