Andrew Jackson Introduction
When including Andrew Jackson on the best US Presidents List we had to think long and hard. He was certainly one of the most influential presidents; largely due to his support of freedom and liberty for US citizens. Jackson had many great accomplishments and was also enormously popular; he is often referred to as the "people's president". However; his treatment of Native Americans was unfair and barbaric. He is responsible for the deaths and misery of countless Native Americans as you will read about in the list of interesting kid friendly facts below.Click here for a great selection of Amazon.com books about President Andrew Jackson.
President Andrew Jackson Quick Facts
- He was the seventh president of the USA serving 2 terms from 3/4/1829 - 3/3/1837.
- He was born on March 15, 1767.
- Andrew Jackson died on June 8, 1845.
- He was a member of the Democratic Party which he founded.
- Jackson's vice presidents were John C. Calhoun and Martin Van Buren.
President Andrew Jackson Interesting Facts
- At the age of 13 he joined a local militia and served as a courier during the Revolutionary War.
- He was the first representative in the U.S. House of Representatives for Tennessee.
- Jackson lost the close presidential election of 1824 to John Quincy Adams. Four years later he would beat Adams to become the seventh president of the United States of America.
- One interesting fact is that in 1813 Jackson actually adopted an Indian child that was found with his dead mother on a battlefield. Jackson took good care of the boy named Lyncoya. He educated him and even wanted him to attend WestPoint. He unfortunately died of tuberculosis in 1828 at the age of 17.
- The soldiers serving under Jackson during the War of 1812 use to say he was "as tough as old hickory wood"; earning him one of his many nicknames "Old Hickory".
- Considering himself a president of the common man he invited the public to his inauguration ball at the White House; the first president to do so. A huge crowd showed up causing damage as they tried to see the president. This earned Jackson the nickname "King Mob.
- Jackson was the target of the first attempted assassination of a US president. A mad man named Richard Lawrence attempted to shoot the president as he left a congressional funeral held at the capital.
- In 1830 Jackson signed into law the Indian Removal Act forcing thousands of Indians to leave their homelands. The Indians that did not leave peacefully were forced to leave. The worst example of this was the so called "Trail of Tears" where some 4,000 Cherokees died on a forced march.
- President Andrew Jackson died on June 8, 1845 at the age of 78. His death was caused by a combination of things including complications from two gunshot wounds he had gotten many years earlier.
Facts about Andrew Jackson's Military Career
- He was a major general during the War of 1812.
- In 1814 under General Jackson the American forces beat the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The Creek Indians had sided with the British during the War of 1812.
- Perhaps Andrew Jackson's greatest military achievement was his defense of New Orleans during the War of 1812. The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8th 1815. The British attacked Jackson's lines and were repelled suffering enormous casualties. This was the last major battle of the War of 1812 and made Jackson enormously popular.