Andrew Jackson (7th President of the United States) was a polarizing figure who dominated American politics in the 1820s and 1830s. Nicknamed 'Old Hickory' because of his renowned toughness, he was the last U.S. President to have been a veteran of the American Revolution, and the second President to have been a prisoner of war. During the Revolutionary War, he was captured and refused to clean the boots of a British officer, who slashed him with a sword, leaving scars on his hand and head. Because his origins were humble and obscure, wild rumors abounded about Jackson's past and his 'real' birthplace. Jackson himself always stated definitively that he was "born in a cabin just inside South Carolina." He served as first Territorial Governor of Florida, U.S. Senator, and the first Tennessee congressman.
After Jackson was elected President, he signed into law the 'Indian Removal Act' of 1830, opening what would later come to be known as one of the unhappiest chapters in American history; 17,000 Cherokee Indians were rounded up by federal troops; 4,000 died on 'The Trail of Tears' and 2,000 more perished after their arrival in concentration camps.
Jackson died of natural causes, aged 78 (1845) at 'The Hermitage'.
Wikipedia
The Hermitage
Trail of Tears
Andrew Jackson State Park
- Jackson experienced the first known case of a President being handed a baby to kiss. However, Jackson declined, and handed the baby to Secretary of War John H. Eaton to do the honors.
- The first attempt to assassinate a President was against Andrew Jackson (twice: once on May 16, 1833 and again on January 30, 1835).
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