Remembering Old Hickory
On June 8, 1845 (166 years ago today) Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States, died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee (called "the Hermitage). He was 78 years of age. The cause of death is given as chronic tuberculosis, dropsy, and heart failure.
Jackson rose to fame as an army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814 and the British at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. He was a polarizing figure who was loyal to his friends and a curse to his enemies. As President, Jackson battled the national bank and relocated many of the Indian tribes to the west. His supporters created the modern Democratic Party, and the 1830-1850 period later became known to many historians as the era of Jacksonian democracy.
Jackson was nicknamed "Old Hickory" because of his toughness and aggressive personality. He was involved in several duels, and was a slave owner. He opposed what he called a "closed undemocratic aristocracy". As president, he supported a small and limited federal government but strengthened the power of the presidency. He supported the notion of state's rights, but, during the Nullification Crisis, he declared that states do not have the right to nullify federal laws. Strongly against the national bank, he vetoed the renewal of its charter and ensured its collapse.
The most troubling aspect of his presidency was the Indian Removal Act, which resulted in the forced relocation of many Native American tribes to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). His legacy is now seen as mixed by historians. He is praised as a protector of popular democracy and individual liberty for American citizens, but criticized for his support for slavery and Indian removal.
I'm currently reading H. W. Brands' 2005 scholarly biography of Jackson entitled Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times. I will review it for you when I finish reading it.
Jackson rose to fame as an army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814 and the British at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. He was a polarizing figure who was loyal to his friends and a curse to his enemies. As President, Jackson battled the national bank and relocated many of the Indian tribes to the west. His supporters created the modern Democratic Party, and the 1830-1850 period later became known to many historians as the era of Jacksonian democracy.
Jackson was nicknamed "Old Hickory" because of his toughness and aggressive personality. He was involved in several duels, and was a slave owner. He opposed what he called a "closed undemocratic aristocracy". As president, he supported a small and limited federal government but strengthened the power of the presidency. He supported the notion of state's rights, but, during the Nullification Crisis, he declared that states do not have the right to nullify federal laws. Strongly against the national bank, he vetoed the renewal of its charter and ensured its collapse.
The most troubling aspect of his presidency was the Indian Removal Act, which resulted in the forced relocation of many Native American tribes to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). His legacy is now seen as mixed by historians. He is praised as a protector of popular democracy and individual liberty for American citizens, but criticized for his support for slavery and Indian removal.
I'm currently reading H. W. Brands' 2005 scholarly biography of Jackson entitled Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times. I will review it for you when I finish reading it.