Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, was born on March 15, 1767 in Waxhaw on the North Carolina-South Carolina border. He is a controversial man who greatly impacted our country both during his presidency and long term. His actions may have been questioned at the time, as some still are today, but his strong-willed chauvinism in democracy is just what our country needed to hold itself together.

Jackson did not have a typical family setting growing up. His father passed away before his birth, leaving his mother the single parent of three young boys. To help lighten the burden of raising young children on her own, his mother moved in with her Crawford relatives. There Jackson attended school, attaining an elementary education and possibly a bit of higher level learning. Jackson’s childhood came to an abrupt halt after the Revolutionary War. The war had taken the lives of his mother and brothers through battle and illnesses. At the young age of fifteen, Jackson was orphaned and left to raise himself (Miller 118).

Jackson’s education enabled him to teach a little while studying law in North Carolina. In 1787 when he was admitted to the bar, he was offered a position to serve as public prosecuter in the new Mero District of North Carolina, with its seat at Nashville. Jackson took the offer and moved to Nashville. Upon arrival in Nashville, Jackson built a legal practice, took up the art of trade, and began acquiring land and slaves. These new skills were not the only things Jackson gained with his move to Nashville. He also won the heart of Rachel Donelson Robards. Mrs. Robards was married, but at the time, separated from her husband when Jackson moved to town. In 1791 Jackson moved in with M...

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