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Andrew Jackson [March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845] was the seventh president of the United States. A landowner and a prominent lawyer, he was a war hero during the War 0f 1812, known to be the founder of the Democratic Party, put an end to the Second Bank of the United States and a strong champion for individual liberty. But his stellar reputation was marred with his connection to the forced the migration of Native Americans resulting to the deaths of thousands. On a whole, Andrew Jackson is ranked by scholars and historians as the ninth most successful president of the United States. Below are some great facts on President Andrew Jackson or alternatively download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Andrew Jackson Basic Facts

  • Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, three weeks after his father’s sudden death at the young age of 29.
  • He grew up in poverty in the wilderness of Waxhaws.
  • He had an older brother who died in the Battle of Stono Ferry in 1779. His name was Hugh.
  • He joined the Continental Army at the age of 13 during the American Revolution. A little later, he got captured by the British with his brother Robert. Both of them contracted smallpox while in prison. They were released through an arrangement made by their mother but Robert died shortly after as he never recovered from the disease. Jackson’s mother also died from the cholera she contracted while caring for the injured and sick soldiers of the war leaving him an orphan at the age of 14. The death of his loved ones led to his lifetime dislike of the British.
  • Raised by his uncles, he studied law and went on to become a lawyer and a wealthy landowner with the money he got through his private practice.
  • He went on to become a Tennessee congressman in 1796 and was elected for the US Senate on 1797. But he resigned from that post eight months later.
  • Though he wasn’t an experienced military man, he was appointed major general of the Tennessee militia in 1802. And as a military officer, he led his troops to victory in these battles:

– Battle of Horseshoe Bend [March 1814] – it was the culmination of his five-month campaign against the Creek Indians, British allies, who massacred hundreds of settlers in Fort Mims located in what is now Alabama.

– Battle of New Orleans [January 1815] – this was the last major engagement of the War of 1812.

– St. Mark and Pensacola Capture [First Seminole War c. 1817] – Jackson invaded the then Spanish-controlled Florida. This resulted to Spain ceding Florida to United States in the Adams-Onis Treaty in 1819.

  • His military adventures made him a hero and a star in the public’s eyes. His popularity mattered significantly in his being nominated for United States presidency in 1822.
  • Because of the Corrupt Bargain and the public’s negative reaction to it, Andrew Jackson was re-nominated for presidency in 1825, three years before the next election was scheduled.
  • The Corrupt Bargain also caused the split of the Democratic-Republican Party. Pro-Jackson supporters named themselves the Democrats and formed in what is now the Democratic Party. Anti-Jacksonites, on the other hand, [led by henry Clay and Daniel Webster] formed the Whig Party.
  • Jackson won the popular vote for president thrice. First, when he won the most popular votes, but not the majority, during his first run as president in 1824. Second, when he won nearly 56% of the popular vote in 1828 defeating Adams. His third win came four years later during his reelection.
  • One of the controversial aspects of his two terms as president was his signing and implementing the Indian Removal Act of 1830 which resulted to the forced relocation of the Natives/American Indians [some 15,000 Cherokee Indians] westward. This resulted to 4,000 deaths by starvation, illness and exposure. This went down American history as the Trail of Tears.
  • Jackson was also responsible for the putting of Justice Roger Traney, a supporter of his, in the US Supreme Court. Justice Traney was known for the infamous Dred Scott decision which declared that African Americans were not United States citizens and because of this, they did not have the legal standing to file a lawsuit. He also said that the federal government couldn’t forbid slavery within the territories of the United States. Justice Traney was the one who sworn Abraham Lincoln into office as president.

Jackson’s Personal/Family Life

  • Andrew Jackson’s wife, Rachel Donelson Robards, was accused of bigamy. Andrew and Rachel got married before her divorce to her first husband got finalized. And while they did remarry, legally this time, Jackson’s opponents capitalized on this issue during the presidential campaigns in 1828.
  • He attributed his wife’s death [by heart attack] to the above controversy. He particularly blamed John Quincy Adams and his supporters for the death. During the funeral, Jackson was reported to have said: “may God Almighty forgive her murderers. I never can.”
  • Jackson’s willingness to fight off his wife’s many attackers earned him the reputation of being a quarrelsome man.
  • The couple never had children of their own. They had adopted kids, though. One, named Andrew Jackson Jr., was the son of Rachel’s brother Severn Donelson. Two others were Native American orphans who Jackson came to during the Creek War. Theodore died early in 1814 and Lyncoya, who was found in the arms of his dead mother in the battlefield.
  • Jackson died in June 8, 1845 and was buried in his plantation, the Hermitage, next to his wife.

A President of Many Firsts and Many Onlys

Andrew Jackson was . . .

  • The first Irish-American president. He was the son of Irish immigrants.
  • The first frontier president.
  • The first president to have resided outside of either Virginia or Massachusetts.
  • The first Tennessee representative [congressman] in the US House of Representatives.

Andrew Jackson was a member of the convention that established the Tennessee Constitution in 1976.

  • The first president to issue an invitation to the public to attend the inauguration ball at the White House. The crowd that responded to his invitation was so large that there was a lot of pushing over throughout the event just to get a good look at the new president resulting damages in White House property [broken dishes and furniture, mostly].
  • The first president to ever ride the train. He took that monumental train ride in 1833.
  • He became the first target of a presidential assassination [attempt] in American history. Fortunately, the assassination was unsuccessful.

It was January 30, 1835 and Andrew Jackson was attending a memorial service for a congressman in the US Capitol. As he was leaving, Richard Lawrence, a house painter and later found out to be mentally unstable, came up from the crowd and shot the president with a single-shot gold pistol. It didn’t fire. He took out a second pistol. It didn’t fire either. In anger, Jackson hammered the man with his cane.

  • The first president to assume command with the president’s veto power. Jackson did not submit to the Congress when it came to making policies. He set up a new example by wielding his veto pen as a matter of policy when other presidents only vetoed bills they believed as unconstitutional.
  • The first president to mass replaced current government officeholders with his supporters. He did so to battle corruption within the offices.
  • The only president to pay off the debt of the nation completely in 1835. By doing so, he fulfilled a longtime goal.
  • The only president who was a former prisoner of war.

Andrew Jackson joined a Continental Army militia at the age of 13 during the American Revolutionary War and worked as a patriot courier. In 1781, he – along with his brother Robert – got captured by the British. While in captivity, Jackson sustained a gash on his left hand and a slash on his face, which left a permanent scar, from a British soldier’s sword for refusing to polish the boots of that said Redcoat.

  • Had the first vice president in American history to resign from his office on December 28, 1832.

 John C. Calhoun was Andrew Jackson’s running mate during the 1828 elections which they won by landslide. However, the passage of federal tariffs in 1828 had them at odds against each other. Calhoun supported the nullification of these tariffs with the opinion that states could break away from the Union. While Jackson agreed the tariffs were, indeed, too high, he threatened that he would use force if needed just so federal laws would be imposed in the involved state which was South Carolina. In protest, Calhoun resigned from his post.

President Andrew Jackson’s Nicknames

  • Old Hickory – Andrew Jackson earned this nickname in the battlefield as his comrades described him as someone who was “tough as old hickory wood” during battles.
  • Jackass – the moniker was given to him by his opponents during campaigns for the 1828 elections. Jackson liked it so much that he decided to use the donkey as a symbol for himself. Later on, the donkey became the symbol of the new Democratic Party.
  • King Mob – the nickname was given to him after his inaugural ball, when the White House sustained a number of damages all because there was a huge public crowd in attendance. Before the event, Jackson issued an invitation to the public to attend it.
  • People’s President – he got this nickname after airing that he believed that the American people should have the power to elect the country’s president and vice-president and the Electoral College must be abolished. 

This was after the 1824 election upset where he won the popular vote but as no candidate gained the majority of the vote of the Electoral College, the election was thrown to the House of Representatives. Then Speaker of the House, Henry Clay, placed his support on John Quincy Adams who won the won the office at the end. However, after Adams named Clay his Secretary of State, Jackson’s supporters cried foul and complained that there was a backdoor deal between the two officials. This became known as the Corrupt Bargain.

  • King Andrew I – this was what his opponents and critics, especially members of the Whig Party, called him while he was serving as president. 

Interesting Facts about Andrew Jackson

  • He was a gambler.
  • According to historians, he may have participated in anywhere between 5 and 100 duels. Two particular duels put two bullets in his chest. He also killed a man during one [1806], Charles Dickinson. Dickinson was the one of the two individuals who placed a bullet on his chest. But though wounded, Jackson was still able to shoot Dickinson causing the man’s death.
  • The two bullets in his chest became one of the causes of his death — lead poisoning.
  • He detested paper money. But no matter, his portrait is on the $20 bill. Before this, his portrait also appeared on $5, $10, $50 and $10,000 bills as well as the Confederate’s $1,000 bill.
  • Because of the many controversies he was in, the US had to wait 18 years before they honored Jackson with a stamp. The first Jackson stamp came out in 1863. To date, Andrew Jackson appeared in 13 various stamps. Only three other US presidents appeared in stamps more times than him — Lincoln, Washington and Franklin.

President Andrew Jackson Worksheets

This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use President Woodrow Wilson Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about Andrew Jackson who was the seventh president of the United States. A landowner and a prominent lawyer, he was a war hero during the War 0f 1812, known to be the founder of the Democratic Party, put an end to the Second Bank of the United States and a strong champion for individual liberty.

Download includes the following worksheets:

  • Andrew Jackson Facts
  • The Sharp Knife
  • Road to the White House
  • Other War Veterans
  • The Nullification Crisis
  • Jackson Five
  • Greatest Critics
  • American Revolutionary War
  • The Kitchen Cabinet
  • The Spoils System
  • Learning Collage

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