-
Andrew Jackson's Birth
Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767 in Waxhaws, North Carolina(now located on the border of North and South Carolina). His parents were Andrew Jackson Senior and Elizabeth Hutchinson. He also had two brothers, Hugh and Robert. At the age of two, his father died, and at 14, his mother died. He only had his two brothers for immediate family. -
Jackson Enlists in the Revolutionary Army
There is no specific day that he enlisted(so I just put Jan 1) , but in 1779 he did. Jackson was only 13 when he enlisted in the revolutionary army. His two brothers also did at that time. Hugh, one of Jackson's older brother died in the Battle of Stono Ferry in 1779. In April of 1781, Jackson and his other brother, Robert, were taken as prisoners by the British. Days after both were released, Robert died of smallpox. Andrew Jackson was the only one to survive. -
The Battle of Horshoe Bend
The Upper Creek (known as the Red Sticks) decided to join the British in 1813, during the war of 1812. They started attacking the Americans in the southeast. Jackson heard that a large Red Stick camp was at Horseshoe bend, so he moved his troops there to fight. At 10:30am, on March 27, Jackson opened fire and two hours later, his troops moved in. The Red Sticks were forced back and some tried to escape but were cut off. Around 200 Red Sticks escaped, and joined the Seminoles in Florida. -
The Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place two weeks after the signing of the treaty of Ghent. The British decided to attack New Orleans, hoping that they could seperate Louisiana from the U.S. if they captured to city. The Americans were told of the coming attack by Jean Lafitte and were able to prepare. Although there were only 4,500 American soldiers while the British had 7,500, the Americans were able to fight off the British in half an hour. Only 8 Americans were killed and 13 were wounded. -
Election of 1824
The four canidates in the Election of 1824 were John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and William Crawford. Jackson won the majority vote, but did not win the Electoral vote. The president was decided on in the House of Representatives. They selected John Quincy Adams, not Jackson, for President. -
Election of 1828
The Election of 1828 was one of the meanest elections in histroy. Jackson was given the name "Old Hickory" and many political cartoons were created of Jackson, including the famous donkey with Jackson's head on it. Jackson's wife was also targeted during this election. She was claimed to be immortal and unpure. Rumors about John Quincy Adams also spread and people claimed that he played billards and then charged the government. In the end, Jackson won and Adams was angry at being beaten. -
The Indian Removal Act
Gold had been found in Georgia, and since Native Americans lived there, the land couldn't be given to white setters coming in. Congress passed the Indian Removal act on may 28, 1830. This act removed all Native Americans that were west of the Mississippi river. Many tribes were moved to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. In 1837, 5 tribes were forced to march the 800 miles to the territory. Around 4,000 died because of the harsh conditions, disease, and hunger. This is known as the Trail of Tears. -
Worcester vs. Georgia
In 1830, the state of Georgia passed a law declaring that any white person that was living among the Native Americans had to have a license. If they didnt, they would be sent to prison. Samuel Worcester was a missionary who was living with the Indians. He was arrested and went to prison for four years. Worcester sued and claimed that the law violated his rights and that the state could not enforce it in Native territory. The case was decided on March 3rd, 1832. They ruled in favor of Worcesrer. -
The Nullification Crisis
The Tariff of 1828 was what first made the people concerened. Jackson tried to lower the tariff, but the people were still very angry. South Carolina threatened to secede and tried to nullify and ignore the tariff. Then, on January 16th, Jackson presented the Force Bill to Congress. The bill was made to stop the state for nullifying the law. This caused much commotion about nullification, but Henry Clay made a compromise which lowered the tariff over a period of 10 years, and the crisis ended. -
The Bank War
On October 1st, 1833, Jackson declared that federal funds would not be put in the National Bank but in smaller state banks. Nicholas Briddle, the president of the National Bank, thought that if there was a financial crisis, there would be a need for a centeral bank, so he made more difficult for others to get money. The Pet Banks loaned and printed too much money. This caused inflation and the value of money went down and the prices of goods went up. Jackson's bank charter expired in 1836.
