This page will contain external links about Andrew Jackson, as they become available.Andrew JacksonAndrew Jackson (March 15, 1767–June 8, 1845), one of the founders of the Democratic Party, was the seventh President of the United States, serving from 1829 to 1837. Until his election, every President had either been from Massachusetts or a member of the Virginia plantation elite. Jackson was nicknamed "Old Hickory" and (by American Indians) "Sharp Knife". He was the first president who had lived on the American frontier, and thus the first not primarily associated with one of the original thirteen colonies. Jackson became the symbol of an era in American history—known as the "Age of Jackson" or the "Jacksonian Era"—an era traditionally seen as dominating the years between the War of 1812 and the Civil War. A number of cities are named after him, notably Jacksonville, Florida and Jackson, Mississippi. Early life and military careerJackson was born in a backwoods settlement in the Waxhaws area in the Carolinas on March 15, 1767. Both North Carolina and South Carolina have claimed him as a native son. Jackson himself always stated he was born in South Carolina. He received a sporadic education. At age thirteen he joined the Continental Army as a courier. He was captured and imprisoned by the British in the American Revolutionary War. Jackson was the last U.S. President to have been a veteran of the American Revolution, and the only President to have been a prisoner of war. The war took the lives of Jackson's entire immediate family. During the Revolution, after the surrender to the British at Charleston, he was taken as a prisoner to Camden and nearly starved. When Jackson refused to clean the boots of a British officer, the irate redcoat slashed him with a sword, giving Jackson the scars (and intense hatred for the British) that he would carry all his life. In addition, two of Jackson's brothers and his mother -- his entire remaining family -- died from wartime hardships that he also blamed on the British. This anglophobia would be combined with a distrust and dislike of Eastern aristocrats stemming from his feeling that they were too inclined to favor and emulate their former colonial masters. Jackson admired Napoleon Bonaparte for his willingness to contest British military supremacy. He came to Tennessee by 1787, having barely read law, but finding it enough to become a young lawyer on the frontier. Since he was not of a distinguished family, he had to make his career by his own merits, and soon he began to prosper in the rough-and-tumble world of frontier law. Most of the actions grew out of disputed land-claims or assault and battery. His courtroom demeanor was of his time. In 1795, he fought a duel with an opposing counsel over a courtroom argument. He was elected as Tennessee's first Congressman upon statehood in the late 1790s, and quickly became a U.S. Senator in 1797, but quit within a year. In 1798, he was appointed Judge on the Supreme Court of Tennessee. [1] Creek War and War of 1812He became a colonel in the Tennessee militia, which he led since 1801, the beginning of his military career. In 1813, after a massacre of 400 men, women and children at Fort Mims (in what is now Alabama) by Northern Creek Band chieftain Peter McQueen, Jackson commanded in the campaign against the Northern Creek Band of Indians of Alabama and Georgia aka the "Red Sticks." Creek leaders such as William Weatherford (Red Eagle), Peter McQueen, and Menawa, who had been allies of the British during the War of 1812, violently clashed with other chiefs of the Creek Nation over white encroachment on Creek lands and the "civilizing" programs administered by U.S. Indian Agent Benjamin Hawkins. In the Creek War, a theatre of the War of 1812, he defeated the Red Stick Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend aided by allies from the Southern Creek Indian Band, who had requested Jackson's aid in putting down what they considered to be the rebellious Red Sticks, as well as Cherokee Indians. Although 800 Northern Creek Band indians were killed in the battle, Jackson spared Weatherford's life from any acts of vengence. Sam Houston and David Crockett served under him at this time. Following the victory Jackson imposed the Treaty of Ft. Jackson upon both his Northern Creek enemy and Southern Creek allies wresting 20 million acres from all Creeks for white settlement. His service in the War of 1812 was conspicuous for its bravery and success. He was a strict officer, but was popular with his troops and was said to have been "tough as old hickory" wood on the battlefield, which gave him his nickname. The war, and particularly his command at the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815, made his national reputation and he advanced in rank to Major General. In the battle, he opposed 12,000 of the Duke of Wellington's finest troops, led by the Duke's brother-in-law Edward Pakenham, with 6,000 of his own. The British had over 2,000 casualties to Jackson's 71 killed, wounded or missing. [2] A bust of Andrew Jackson at the Plaza Ferdinand VII in Pensacola, Florida, where Jackson was sworn in as territorial governor.First Seminole WarJackson saw military service again in what would become known as the First Seminole War when he was requested by James Monroe in December 1817 [3] to lead a campaign in Florida against the Seminole and Creek Indians and prevent Florida from being a refuge for runaway slaves. It was later said that Jackson exceeded his orders in Florida actions, but Monroe and the public wanted Florida. Before going, Jackson wrote to Monroe, ""Let it be signified to me through any channel (say Mr. John Rhea [a mutual confidant]) that the possession of the Floridas would be desirable to the United States, and in sixty days it will be accomplished." Monroe gave Jackson orders that were purposely ambiguous, sufficient for international denials. Jackson's Tennessee volunteers were attacked by Seminoles, but this left their villages vulnerable and Jackson burned them and their crops. In his investigation, he found letters that indicated that the Spanish and British were secretly assisting the Indians. Jackson believed that the United States would not be secure as long as Spain and Great Britain encouraged American Indians to fight and argued that his actions were undertaken in self defense. He captured Pensacola with little more than some warning shots and deposed the Spanish governor. He captured, tried, and executed two British subjects who had been supplying and advising the Indians. Jackson's action also struck fear into the Seminole tribes as his ruthlessness in battle spread. This also created an international incident, and many in the Monroe administration called for Jackson to be censured. His actions were defended by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. When the Spanish minister demanded a "suitable punishment" for Jackson, Adams wrote back "Spain must immediately [decide] either to place a force in Florida adequate at once to the protection of her territory, ... or cede to the United States a province, of which she retains nothing but the nominal possession, but which is, in fact, ... a post of annoyance to them." Adams used Jackson's conquest and Spain's own weaknesses to convince the Spanish (in the Adams-Onís Treaty) to cede Florida to the United States. Jackson was subsequently appointed territorial governor there. Jackson as PresidentDuring his first run for the Presidency in 1824, Jackson received a plurality of both the popular and electoral votes, but not a majority. The election was thrown into the House of Representatives, which chose John Quincy Adams instead. The election was considered dirty and, by many, stolen. Jackson himself favored reform of the electoral system afterwards, including abolishing the U.S. Electoral College. Jackson's defeat burnished his political credentials, however, since many voters believed the man of the people had been robbed by the corrupt aristocrats of the East. He won a solid victory in his second attempt in 1828 as the first nominee of the Democratic Party. Jackson was the first U.S. President to come from outside the original Revolutionary circle. Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison were notable figures in the War of Independence and in the formation of the U.S. Constitution. James Monroe fought in the Revolutionary War. John Quincy Adams was the son of John Adams. Jackson's election represented a significant break from that past. He was also the first President from a state west of the Appalachian Mountains. (Though born in the Carolinas, Jackson spent virtually all his adult life in Tennessee.) This was the first election in which many states allowed people without land to vote, and they voted for Jackson. Jackson is remembered for introducing the spoils system, or patronage, to American politics. Upon his election as President, a sizable number of people holding federal offices found that they had suddenly been replaced by supporters of Jackson who had worked to ensure his election. Jackson saw this system as promoting the growth of democracy, as more people were involved in politics. This practice has endured in political circles in the United States ever since. Additionally, Jackson pressured states to lower voting requirements to further the expansion of democracy. Opposition to the National BankAndrew Jackson is depicted on the U.S. $20 bill.As President, Jackson worked to dismantle the Second Bank of the United States. The original Bank of the United States had been introduced in 1791 by Alexander Hamilton as a way of organizing the federal government's finances. This first Bank lapsed in 1811. It was followed by the second Bank, authorized by James Madison in 1816 to alleviate the economic problems caused by the War of 1812. Both Banks were instrumental in the growth of the U.S. economy, but Jackson opposed the concept on ideological grounds. In Jackson's opinion, the Bank needed to be abolished because:
Jackson's opposition to the Bank manifested as a strong personal dislike for its president, Nicholas Biddle. Jackson followed Jefferson as a supporter of the ideal of an agricultural republic, and felt the Bank improved the fortunes of an elite circle of commercial and industrial entrepreneurs at the expense of farmers and laborers. After a titanic struggle, Jackson succeeded in destroying the Bank by vetoing its 1832 recharter by Congress and withdrawing U.S. funds in 1833. It was a Pyrrhic victory, however, as the Bank's money-lending functions were taken over by the legions of local and state banks that sprang up along with the expansion of credits and speculation, and the commercial progress of the nation's economy was noticeably dented. The United States Senate censured Jackson on March 27, 1834 for his actions in defunding the Bank of the United States. Nullification crisisStatue of Andrew Jackson in Nashville, Tennessee.Another notable crisis of Jackson's period of office was the nullification crisis (or secession crisis), of 1828-1832, which merged issues of sectional strife and disagreements over trade tariffs. High tariffs (the "Tariff of Abominations") on imports of common goods were seen by many in Southern states as unfairly benefiting Northern merchants and industrial entrepreneurs at the expense of those who had to buy the goods subject to the tariffs, mostly Southern farmers. The issue came to a head when Vice President John C. Calhoun, in the South Carolina Exposition and Protest of 1828, supported the claim of his home state, South Carolina, that it had the right to "nullify" — declare illegal — the tariff legislation of 1828, and more generally the right of a state to nullify laws which went against its interests. Although Jackson sympathized with the Southern interpretation of the tariff debate, he was also a strong supporter of federalism (in the sense of supporting a strong union with considerable powers for the central government) and attempted to face Calhoun down over the issue, which developed into a bitter rivalry between the two men. Particularly famous was an incident at the April 13, 1829 Jefferson Day dinner, involving after-dinner toasts. Jackson rose first and voice booming, yelled out "Our federal Union: IT MUST BE PRESERVED!", a clear challenge to Calhoun. Calhoun responded in a trembling voice "The Union: next to our liberty, most dear!," an astonishingly quick-witted riposte. In response to South Carolina's threat, Congress passed a "Force Bill" and Jackson vowed to send troops to South Carolina in order to enfore the laws. On December 10, he issued a resounding proclamation against the nullifiers, stating: "I consider...the power to annul a law of the United States, assumed by one State, incompatible with the existance of the Union, contradicted expressly by the letter of the Constitution, unauthorized by its spirit, inconsistent with every principle on which it was founded, and destructive of the great object for which it was formed." South Carolina, the president declared, stood on "the brink of insurrection and treason," and he appealed to the people of the state to reassert their allegiance to that Union for which their ancestors had fought. Jackson also denied the right of secession: "The Constitution...forms a government not a league...To say that any State may at pleasure secede from the Union is to say that the United States is not a nation." The crisis was resolved in 1833 with a compromise settlement which, by substantially lowering the tariffs, hinted that the central government considered itself weak in dealing with determined opposition by an individual state. Indian RemovalJackson was a strong supporter of the policy of Indian Removal, and he signed the Indian Removal Act into law in 1830. The Removal Act did not order the removal of any American Indians, but it authorized the President to negotiate treaties that would exchange tribal land in the east for western lands that had been acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. According to biographer Robert V. Remini, Jackson favored relocating Native American tribes outside existing states primarily for national security reasons, since most American Indians had sided with the British in the Revolution and the War of 1812. The Removal Act was especially popular in the South, where population growth and the discovery of gold on Cherokee land increased pressure on tribal lands. The state of Georgia became involved in a contentious jurisdictional dispute with the Cherokees, culminating in the 1832 Supreme Court decision (Worcester v. Georgia) that ruled that Georgia could not impose its laws upon Cherokee tribal lands. However, Jackson had no intention of protecting the Cherokees from the state of Georgia, although the famously defiant quote attributed to him ("John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it!") was probably never uttered by Jackson. Realizing that removal under Jackson was inevitable, a faction of Cherokees led by Major Ridge negotiated the Treaty of New Echota with Jackson's administration, a document of dubious legality that was rejected by most Cherokees. However, the terms of the treaty were strictly enforced by Jackson's successor, Martin van Buren, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Cherokees along the "Trail of Tears". Indian removal was used against the 4 other civilized tribes as well. The Creeks, for example, already feeling betrayed after the Battle of Horseshoe Bend were relocated to Fort Gibson in the Indian Territories during this period after Southern Creek Band Leader William McIntosh agreed to cede most of Georgia in the Treaty of Indian Springs resulting in McIntosh's assassination by Red Stick leader Menawa. Despite the treaty's nullification one year later by US Congress, it was nevertheless enforced by Georgia Governor George Troup. Assassination attemptThe etching of the assassination attempt.On January 30, 1835 an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Jackson occurred in the United States Capitol. This was the first assassination attempt against an American President. While Jackson was leaving a funeral for South Carolina congressman Warren R. Davis, a mentally ill man named Richard Lawrence, an unemployed house painter, came up to him and fired a pistol at point-blank range. The pistol misfired, and before anyone could react, the assassin pulled another pistol which, amazingly, also misfired. Instead of running or taking cover, the 67-year-old president proceeded to physically confront Lawrence with his cane. The print (shown right) made 20 years later became quite popular because it shows the president boldly confronting his attacker. The would-be assassin, who claimed Jackson had prevented him from taking his rightful claim to the British throne, was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to an asylum. Supporters of Jackson later accused the Whig Party of a conspiracy, but the accusation was never substantiated. Major presidential acts
CabinetSupreme Court appointments
Supreme Court cases during his presidency
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Family and later lifePortrait of Andrew JacksonJackson's wife, Rachel, died of a heart attack just 2 months prior to his taking office as President. She had supposedly divorced her first husband, Col. Lewis Robards, but there were questions about the legality of the divorce. Jackson deeply resented attacks on his wife's honor; he killed Charles Dickinson in a duel over an insult to his wife on May 30, 1806. Jackson was also injured during the duel and the bullet was so close to his heart that it could never be safely removed. It caused him considerable pain for the rest of his life. Jackson had two adopted sons, Andrew Jackson, Jr. and Lyncoya, a Creek Indian orphan adopted by Jackson after the Creek War. Lyncoya died in 1828 at age sixteen, probably from pneumonia or tuberculosis. Jackson remained influential in both national and state politics after retiring to The Hermitage, his Nashville home in 1837. Though a slaveholder, Jackson was a firm advocate of the federal union of the states and declined to give any support to talk of secession. He died at the Hermitage on June 8, 1845 at the age of 78, of chronic tuberculosis, dropsy and heart failure. His last words were: "Oh, do not cry. Be good children, and we shall all meet in Heaven." In his will, Jackson left his entire estate to his adopted son, Andrew Jackson Jr., except for specifically enumerated items that were left to various other friends and family members. Jackson left several slaves to his daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Jackson left a sword to his grandson, with the injunction, "that he will always use it in defence of our glorious Union." Physical characteristicsJackson was a cadaverous figure standing at 6 feet, 1 inch tall, and weighing at in between 130 and 140 pounds (64 kg) average. He never weighed more than 145 pounds. Jackson also had an unruly shock of red hair, which had completely grayed by the time he became president at age 61 in 1829 and penetrating dark blue eyes. Quotes
Movie and biographyThe story of Andrew and Rachel Jackson's life together was told in Irving Stone's best-selling 1951 biographical novel The President's Lady, which was made into the 1953 movie of the same title, starring Susan Hayward, Charlton Heston, John McIntire, and Carl Betz and directed by Henry Levin. The relationship between the two was also the basis of a successful documentary by the Public Broadcasting System, called Rachel and Andrew Jackson: A Love Story. References
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The relationship between the two was also the basis of a successful documentary by the Public Broadcasting System, called Rachel and Andrew Jackson: A Love Story.. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1980. The story of Andrew and Rachel Jackson's life together was told in Irving Stone's best-selling 1951 biographical novel The President's Lady, which was made into the 1953 movie of the same title, starring Susan Hayward, Charlton Heston, John McIntire, and Carl Betz and directed by Henry Levin. His body was interred in Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jackson also had an unruly shock of red hair, which had completely grayed by the time he became president at age 61 in 1829 and penetrating dark blue eyes. Capitol and the Minnesota State Capitol. He never weighed more than 145 pounds. After Humphrey's death at home in Waverly, Minnesota, he lay in state in the rotundas of both the U.S. Jackson was a cadaverous figure standing at 6 feet, 1 inch tall, and weighing at in between 130 and 140 pounds (64 kg) average. One of Humphrey's speeches contained the lines "It was once said that the moral test of Government is how that Government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped," which is sometimes described as the "liberals' mantra.". Jackson left a sword to his grandson, with the injunction, "that he will always use it in defence of our glorious Union.". President Carter honored him by giving him command of Air Force One for his final trip to Washington on October 23. Jackson left several slaves to his daughter-in-law and grandchildren. On October 25, 1977, he addressed the Senate, and on November 3, 1977, Humphrey became the first person other than a Member or the President to address the House of Representatives in session. In his will, Jackson left his entire estate to his adopted son, Andrew Jackson Jr., except for specifically enumerated items that were left to various other friends and family members. On August 16, 1977, Humphrey revealed that he had terminal cancer. Be good children, and we shall all meet in Heaven.". The Senate honored Humphrey by creating the post of Deputy President pro tempore of the Senate for him. His last words were: "Oh, do not cry. Humphrey ran for Majority Leader after the 1976 election but lost to Robert Byrd of West Virginia. He died at the Hermitage on June 8, 1845 at the age of 78, of chronic tuberculosis, dropsy and heart failure. Humphrey also briefly considered mounting a campaign for the Democratic nomination from the Convention once again in 1976, when the primaries seemed likely to result in a deadlock, but ultimately decided against it. Though a slaveholder, Jackson was a firm advocate of the federal union of the states and declined to give any support to talk of secession. The effort failed, as several votes on delegate credentials went McGovern's way, guaranteeing his victory. Jackson remained influential in both national and state politics after retiring to The Hermitage, his Nashville home in 1837. For example, the Humphrey forces argued that the winner-take-all rule for the California primary violated procedural reforms intended to produce a better reflection of the popular vote. Lyncoya died in 1828 at age sixteen, probably from pneumonia or tuberculosis. His hopes rested on challenges to the credentials of some of the McGovern delegates. and Lyncoya, a Creek Indian orphan adopted by Jackson after the Creek War. He was defeated by Senator George McGovern in several primaries, and was trailing in delegates at the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida. Jackson had two adopted sons, Andrew Jackson, Jr. In 1972, Humphrey once again ran for the Democratic nomination for president. It caused him considerable pain for the rest of his life. He was re-elected in 1976, and remained in office until his death. Jackson was also injured during the duel and the bullet was so close to his heart that it could never be safely removed. Senate on January 3, 1971. Jackson deeply resented attacks on his wife's honor; he killed Charles Dickinson in a duel over an insult to his wife on May 30, 1806. Humphrey won the DFL nomination and the election, and returned to the U.S. Lewis Robards, but there were questions about the legality of the divorce. Senator from Minnesota who was up for re-election in 1970, realized that he had only a slim chance of winning even re-nomination (he had angered his party by opposing Johnson and Humphrey for the 1968 presidential nomination), and declined to run. She had supposedly divorced her first husband, Col. Eugene McCarthy, a DFL U.S. Jackson's wife, Rachel, died of a heart attack just 2 months prior to his taking office as President. Initially he had not planned to return to political life, but an unexpected opportunity changed his mind. The would-be assassin, who claimed Jackson had prevented him from taking his rightful claim to the British throne, was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to an asylum. Once a fiery liberal spirit, ah, but now when he speaks he must clear it. The print (shown right) made 20 years later became quite popular because it shows the president boldly confronting his attacker. The song goes "Whatever became of Hubert? Has anyone heard a thing? Once he shone on his own, now he sits home alone and waits for the phone to ring. Instead of running or taking cover, the 67-year-old president proceeded to physically confront Lawrence with his cane. The song addressed how some liberals and progressives felt let down by how Humphrey, who had become a much more mute figure as Vice President than he had been as a senator. The pistol misfired, and before anyone could react, the assassin pulled another pistol which, amazingly, also misfired. He used to be a senator..."). Davis, a mentally ill man named Richard Lawrence, an unemployed house painter, came up to him and fired a pistol at point-blank range. While he was Vice President, Hubert Humphrey was the subject of a satirical song by songwriter/musician Tom Lehrer entitled "Whatever Became of Hubert?" ("I wonder how many people here tonight remember Hubert Humphrey. While Jackson was leaving a funeral for South Carolina congressman Warren R. (In later years, changes in party rules made such an outcome virtually impossible.). This was the first assassination attempt against an American President. His campaign was hurt because Humphrey had secured the Presidential nomination without winning a single primary. On January 30, 1835 an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Jackson occurred in the United States Capitol. Nixon. Despite the treaty's nullification one year later by US Congress, it was nevertheless enforced by Georgia Governor George Troup. Humphrey lost the 1968 election to Richard M. The Creeks, for example, already feeling betrayed after the Battle of Horseshoe Bend were relocated to Fort Gibson in the Indian Territories during this period after Southern Creek Band Leader William McIntosh agreed to cede most of Georgia in the Treaty of Indian Springs resulting in McIntosh's assassination by Red Stick leader Menawa. However, after he announced that he would not run for a second term, Humphrey ran for President of the United States winning the United States Democratic Party nomination at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, amid riots and protests by antiwar demonstrators, some of whom favored Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, or other protest candidates. Indian removal was used against the 4 other civilized tribes as well. In 1968, the 22nd amendment did not disqualify LBJ from running for a second term, even though he succeeded into the presidency, because there were only 14 months remaining in Kennedy's term. However, the terms of the treaty were strictly enforced by Jackson's successor, Martin van Buren, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Cherokees along the "Trail of Tears". This "pudding assassination" thus became an early defining moment of the German part of the May 1968 movement, many of whose leaders moved into national politics later. Realizing that removal under Jackson was inevitable, a faction of Cherokees led by Major Ridge negotiated the Treaty of New Echota with Jackson's administration, a document of dubious legality that was rejected by most Cherokees. The would-be vandals were dubbed "assassins" and "ten little Oswalds" in some widely-read right-leaning German newspapers; this characterization sparked riots by left-wing student activists. However, Jackson had no intention of protecting the Cherokees from the state of Georgia, although the famously defiant quote attributed to him ("John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it!") was probably never uttered by Jackson. In Germany, Humphrey indirectly earned fame during an April 1967 visit when a plan of some Hippies to make a mess of a place where Humphrey was to speak with chocolate pudding was foiled by the police. Georgia) that ruled that Georgia could not impose its laws upon Cherokee tribal lands. The nickname referred not to hawkishness but to Humphrey's crusading for social programs. The state of Georgia became involved in a contentious jurisdictional dispute with the Cherokees, culminating in the 1832 Supreme Court decision (Worcester v. Even Humphrey's nickname, the Happy Warrior, was used against him. The Removal Act was especially popular in the South, where population growth and the discovery of gold on Cherokee land increased pressure on tribal lands. As Vice President, Humphrey was controversial for his complete and vocal loyalty to Johnson and the policies of the Johnson Administration, even as many of Humphrey's liberal admirers opposed Johnson with increasing fervor about the Vietnam War. Remini, Jackson favored relocating Native American tribes outside existing states primarily for national security reasons, since most American Indians had sided with the British in the Revolution and the War of 1812. He was elected Vice President of the United States on the Democratic ticket with Lyndon Johnson in 1964, and served from January 20, 1965, until January 20, 1969. According to biographer Robert V. Kennedy. The Removal Act did not order the removal of any American Indians, but it authorized the President to negotiate treaties that would exchange tribal land in the east for western lands that had been acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. Humphrey ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960, but lost to Massachusetts Senator John F. Jackson was a strong supporter of the policy of Indian Removal, and he signed the Indian Removal Act into law in 1830. As Democratic whip in the Senate in 1964, Humphrey was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of that year. The crisis was resolved in 1833 with a compromise settlement which, by substantially lowering the tariffs, hinted that the central government considered itself weak in dealing with determined opposition by an individual state. He was chairman on the Select Committee on Disarmament (Eighty-fourth and Eighty-fifth Congresses). Jackson also denied the right of secession: "The Constitution...forms a government not a league...To say that any State may at pleasure secede from the Union is to say that the United States is not a nation.". In 1954 Humphrey proposed to make mere membership in the Communist Party a felony. On December 10, he issued a resounding proclamation against the nullifiers, stating: "I consider...the power to annul a law of the United States, assumed by one State, incompatible with the existance of the Union, contradicted expressly by the letter of the Constitution, unauthorized by its spirit, inconsistent with every principle on which it was founded, and destructive of the great object for which it was formed." South Carolina, the president declared, stood on "the brink of insurrection and treason," and he appealed to the people of the state to reassert their allegiance to that Union for which their ancestors had fought. In the Senate, Humphrey became known for his advocacy of liberal causes (such as civil rights, arms control, a nuclear test ban, food stamps, and humanitarian foreign aid), and for his long and witty speeches. In response to South Carolina's threat, Congress passed a "Force Bill" and Jackson vowed to send troops to South Carolina in order to enfore the laws. His colleagues selected him as majority whip in 1961, a position he held until he left the Senate on December 29, 1964. Calhoun responded in a trembling voice "The Union: next to our liberty, most dear!," an astonishingly quick-witted riposte. Humphrey's father died that year, and Humphrey stopped using "Jr." He was reelected in 1954 and 1960. Jackson rose first and voice booming, yelled out "Our federal Union: IT MUST BE PRESERVED!", a clear challenge to Calhoun. Minnesota elected Humphrey to the United States Senate in 1948 on the DFL ticket, and he took office on January 3, 1949. Particularly famous was an incident at the April 13, 1829 Jefferson Day dinner, involving after-dinner toasts. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough has written that Humphrey probably did more to get Truman elected in 1948 than anyone other than Truman himself. Although Jackson sympathized with the Southern interpretation of the tariff debate, he was also a strong supporter of federalism (in the sense of supporting a strong union with considerable powers for the central government) and attempted to face Calhoun down over the issue, which developed into a bitter rivalry between the two men. Although the strong civil rights plank adopted at the Convention cost Truman the support of the Dixiecrats, it gained him important votes from blacks, especially in Northern cities. Calhoun, in the South Carolina Exposition and Protest of 1828, supported the claim of his home state, South Carolina, that it had the right to "nullify" — declare illegal — the tariff legislation of 1828, and more generally the right of a state to nullify laws which went against its interests. Many Southern Democrats were so enraged that they formed the "Dixiecrat" party and nominated their own presidential candidate, Strom Thurmond. The issue came to a head when Vice President John C. As a result of the Convention's vote, several Southern and conservative Northern delegations walked out of the hall. High tariffs (the "Tariff of Abominations") on imports of common goods were seen by many in Southern states as unfairly benefiting Northern merchants and industrial entrepreneurs at the expense of those who had to buy the goods subject to the tariffs, mostly Southern farmers. In one of the most renowned speeches in American political history, Humphrey told the Convention: "To those who say that this civil rights program is an infringement on states' rights, I say this, that the time has arrived in America for the Democratic Party to get out of the shadows of states' rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights." Humphrey and his allies succeeded; the pro-civil-rights plank was narrowly adopted. Another notable crisis of Jackson's period of office was the nullification crisis (or secession crisis), of 1828-1832, which merged issues of sectional strife and disagreements over trade tariffs. Humphrey and other liberals sought to substitute a strong civil rights plank. The United States Senate censured Jackson on March 27, 1834 for his actions in defunding the Bank of the United States. Truman and the Democratic Party leadership. It was a Pyrrhic victory, however, as the Bank's money-lending functions were taken over by the legions of local and state banks that sprang up along with the expansion of credits and speculation, and the commercial progress of the nation's economy was noticeably dented. At the 1948 Democratic National Convention, the draft platform reflected this policy, and was supported by the incumbent President Harry S. funds in 1833. The Democratic Party at the national level had been accommodating racial discrimination in the South, under the rubric of "states' rights". After a titanic struggle, Jackson succeeded in destroying the Bank by vetoing its 1832 recharter by Congress and withdrawing U.S. His mayoralty would be famous for his efforts to fight bigotry in all its forms. Jackson followed Jefferson as a supporter of the ideal of an agricultural republic, and felt the Bank improved the fortunes of an elite circle of commercial and industrial entrepreneurs at the expense of farmers and laborers. Previously, the city had been declared the Anti-Semitism capital of the country and the small African-American population of the city encountered numerous instances of racism. Jackson's opposition to the Bank manifested as a strong personal dislike for its president, Nicholas Biddle. Humphrey gained national fame during these years by being among the founders of the liberal anti-communist Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) and for reforming the Minneapolis police force. In Jackson's opinion, the Bank needed to be abolished because:. He was re-elected in 1947 by the largest margin in the city's history, to that time. economy, but Jackson opposed the concept on ideological grounds. After the war, he ran for and became mayor of Minneapolis 1945–1948. Both Banks were instrumental in the growth of the U.S. When in 1945 Minnesota Communists attempted to strengthen their position in the DFL Party, Humphrey Jr backed away from his big tent policies and became an energetic anti-Communist. It was followed by the second Bank, authorized by James Madison in 1816 to alleviate the economic problems caused by the War of 1812. In 1944, Humphrey was the one of the key players in the merger of the Democratic and Farmer-Labor parties of Minnesota to form the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). This first Bank lapsed in 1811. In 1943, he made his first run at elective office, for mayor of Minneapolis, but he lost. The original Bank of the United States had been introduced in 1791 by Alexander Hamilton as a way of organizing the federal government's finances. Paul 1943–1944; radio news commentator 1944–1945. As President, Jackson worked to dismantle the Second Bank of the United States. During World War II, he became state director of war production training and reemployment and State chief of Minnesota war service program 1942; assistant director, War Manpower Commission 1943; professor in political science at Macalester College in St. Additionally, Jackson pressured states to lower voting requirements to further the expansion of democracy. Humphrey never finished his Ph.D., and for this reason he was not allowed to teach in the political science department when he returned to the university after losing the 1968 presidential election to Richard Nixon. This practice has endured in political circles in the United States ever since. He then became an instructor and graduate student at the University of Minnesota from 1940–1941. Jackson saw this system as promoting the growth of democracy, as more people were involved in politics. He also earned a graduate degree from Louisiana State University in 1940, serving as an assistant instructor of political science there. Upon his election as President, a sizable number of people holding federal offices found that they had suddenly been replaced by supporters of Jackson who had worked to ensure his election. Humphrey then returned to school, receiving a degree from the University of Minnesota in 1939. Jackson is remembered for introducing the spoils system, or patronage, to American politics. in Huron, South Dakota, from 1933 to 1937. (Though born in the Carolinas, Jackson spent virtually all his adult life in Tennessee.) This was the first election in which many states allowed people without land to vote, and they voted for Jackson. He then became a pharmacist with the Humphrey Drug Co. He was also the first President from a state west of the Appalachian Mountains. After public school, he graduated from Capitol College of Pharmacy, Denver in 1933. Jackson's election represented a significant break from that past. He attended the public schools of Doland, South Dakota, where his family had moved. John Quincy Adams was the son of John Adams. was born in Wallace, South Dakota (Codington County). James Monroe fought in the Revolutionary War. This son of Hubert Humphrey Sr. Constitution. . Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison were notable figures in the War of Independence and in the formation of the U.S. Hubert Horatio Humphrey II (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was the 38th Vice President of the United States, twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota and was mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota. President to come from outside the original Revolutionary circle. Humphrey Building of the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington. Jackson was the first U.S. The Hubert H. He won a solid victory in his second attempt in 1828 as the first nominee of the Democratic Party. Humphrey Center. Jackson's defeat burnished his political credentials, however, since many voters believed the man of the people had been robbed by the corrupt aristocrats of the East. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and its building, the Hubert H. Electoral College. The Hubert H. Jackson himself favored reform of the electoral system afterwards, including abolishing the U.S. Paul, Minn. The election was considered dirty and, by many, stolen. Humphrey Job Corps Center in St. The election was thrown into the House of Representatives, which chose John Quincy Adams instead. The Hubert H. During his first run for the Presidency in 1824, Jackson received a plurality of both the popular and electoral votes, but not a majority. Humphrey Metrodome domed stadium in Minneapolis. Jackson was subsequently appointed territorial governor there. The Hubert H. a post of annoyance to them." Adams used Jackson's conquest and Spain's own weaknesses to convince the Spanish (in the Adams-Onís Treaty) to cede Florida to the United States. Humphrey Terminal at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. or cede to the United States a province, of which she retains nothing but the nominal possession, but which is, in fact, .. The Hubert H. When the Spanish minister demanded a "suitable punishment" for Jackson, Adams wrote back "Spain must immediately [decide] either to place a force in Florida adequate at once to the protection of her territory, .. His actions were defended by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. This also created an international incident, and many in the Monroe administration called for Jackson to be censured. Jackson's action also struck fear into the Seminole tribes as his ruthlessness in battle spread. He captured, tried, and executed two British subjects who had been supplying and advising the Indians. He captured Pensacola with little more than some warning shots and deposed the Spanish governor. Jackson believed that the United States would not be secure as long as Spain and Great Britain encouraged American Indians to fight and argued that his actions were undertaken in self defense. In his investigation, he found letters that indicated that the Spanish and British were secretly assisting the Indians. Jackson's Tennessee volunteers were attacked by Seminoles, but this left their villages vulnerable and Jackson burned them and their crops. John Rhea [a mutual confidant]) that the possession of the Floridas would be desirable to the United States, and in sixty days it will be accomplished." Monroe gave Jackson orders that were purposely ambiguous, sufficient for international denials. Before going, Jackson wrote to Monroe, ""Let it be signified to me through any channel (say Mr. It was later said that Jackson exceeded his orders in Florida actions, but Monroe and the public wanted Florida. Jackson saw military service again in what would become known as the First Seminole War when he was requested by James Monroe in December 1817 [3] to lead a campaign in Florida against the Seminole and Creek Indians and prevent Florida from being a refuge for runaway slaves. [2]. The British had over 2,000 casualties to Jackson's 71 killed, wounded or missing. In the battle, he opposed 12,000 of the Duke of Wellington's finest troops, led by the Duke's brother-in-law Edward Pakenham, with 6,000 of his own. The war, and particularly his command at the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815, made his national reputation and he advanced in rank to Major General. He was a strict officer, but was popular with his troops and was said to have been "tough as old hickory" wood on the battlefield, which gave him his nickname. His service in the War of 1812 was conspicuous for its bravery and success. Jackson upon both his Northern Creek enemy and Southern Creek allies wresting 20 million acres from all Creeks for white settlement. Following the victory Jackson imposed the Treaty of Ft. Sam Houston and David Crockett served under him at this time. Although 800 Northern Creek Band indians were killed in the battle, Jackson spared Weatherford's life from any acts of vengence. In the Creek War, a theatre of the War of 1812, he defeated the Red Stick Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend aided by allies from the Southern Creek Indian Band, who had requested Jackson's aid in putting down what they considered to be the rebellious Red Sticks, as well as Cherokee Indians. Indian Agent Benjamin Hawkins. In 1813, after a massacre of 400 men, women and children at Fort Mims (in what is now Alabama) by Northern Creek Band chieftain Peter McQueen, Jackson commanded in the campaign against the Northern Creek Band of Indians of Alabama and Georgia aka the "Red Sticks." Creek leaders such as William Weatherford (Red Eagle), Peter McQueen, and Menawa, who had been allies of the British during the War of 1812, violently clashed with other chiefs of the Creek Nation over white encroachment on Creek lands and the "civilizing" programs administered by U.S. He became a colonel in the Tennessee militia, which he led since 1801, the beginning of his military career. [1]. In 1798, he was appointed Judge on the Supreme Court of Tennessee. Senator in 1797, but quit within a year. He was elected as Tennessee's first Congressman upon statehood in the late 1790s, and quickly became a U.S. In 1795, he fought a duel with an opposing counsel over a courtroom argument. His courtroom demeanor was of his time. Most of the actions grew out of disputed land-claims or assault and battery. Since he was not of a distinguished family, he had to make his career by his own merits, and soon he began to prosper in the rough-and-tumble world of frontier law. He came to Tennessee by 1787, having barely read law, but finding it enough to become a young lawyer on the frontier. Jackson admired Napoleon Bonaparte for his willingness to contest British military supremacy. This anglophobia would be combined with a distrust and dislike of Eastern aristocrats stemming from his feeling that they were too inclined to favor and emulate their former colonial masters. In addition, two of Jackson's brothers and his mother -- his entire remaining family -- died from wartime hardships that he also blamed on the British. When Jackson refused to clean the boots of a British officer, the irate redcoat slashed him with a sword, giving Jackson the scars (and intense hatred for the British) that he would carry all his life. During the Revolution, after the surrender to the British at Charleston, he was taken as a prisoner to Camden and nearly starved. The war took the lives of Jackson's entire immediate family. President to have been a veteran of the American Revolution, and the only President to have been a prisoner of war. Jackson was the last U.S. He was captured and imprisoned by the British in the American Revolutionary War. At age thirteen he joined the Continental Army as a courier. He received a sporadic education. Jackson himself always stated he was born in South Carolina. Both North Carolina and South Carolina have claimed him as a native son. Jackson was born in a backwoods settlement in the Waxhaws area in the Carolinas on March 15, 1767. . A number of cities are named after him, notably Jacksonville, Florida and Jackson, Mississippi. Jackson became the symbol of an era in American history—known as the "Age of Jackson" or the "Jacksonian Era"—an era traditionally seen as dominating the years between the War of 1812 and the Civil War. He was the first president who had lived on the American frontier, and thus the first not primarily associated with one of the original thirteen colonies. Jackson was nicknamed "Old Hickory" and (by American Indians) "Sharp Knife". Until his election, every President had either been from Massachusetts or a member of the Virginia plantation elite. Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767–June 8, 1845), one of the founders of the Democratic Party, was the seventh President of the United States, serving from 1829 to 1837. ISBN 0809015528 (paperback), ISBN 0809066319 (hardback). New York: Hill & Wang, 1993. The Long, Bitter Trail: Andrew Jackson and the Indians. Wallace, Anthony F.C. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History. ISBN 0316773441. Originally published Boston: Little, Brown, 1945, often reprinted. The Age of Jackson. Jr. Schlesinger, Arthur M. ISBN 0670910252. New York: Viking, 2001. Remini, Andrew Jackson and his Indian Wars. Robert V. Abridgment of Remini's 3-volume biography, originally published New York: Harper, 1998 (ISBN 0060159049); reprinted 2001 (ISBN 0060937351). Remini, The Life of Andrew Jackson. Robert V. Combines two books: The Border Captain and Andrew Jackson: Portrait of a President; winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography. The Life of Andrew Jackson New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1938. James, Marquis. ISBN 0375414282. New York: Knopf, 2003. The Passions of Andrew Jackson. Brustein, Andrew. 1986), ISBN 0940450356. Henry Adams, History of the United States of America During the Administrations of James Madison (Library Classics of the United State, Inc. It must be preserved!". "Our federal union. I can command a body of men in a rough way, but I am not fit to be president.". "I know what I am fit for. "Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error.". "There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it.". Its evils exist only in its abuses.". "There are no necessary evils in government. "It is a damn poor mind indeed which can think of only one way to spell a word.". "One man with courage makes a majority.". "Corporations have neither bodies to kick nor souls to damn.". Michigan (1837). Arkansas (1836). Georgia, 1832. Worcester v. Georgia, 1831. Cherokee Nation vs. Philip Pendleton Barbour. Roger Brooke Taney. James Moore Wayne. Henry Baldwin. John McLean. Executive Order: Specie Circular (1836). Signed Force Bill of 1833. Vetoed renewal of Second Bank of the United States (1832). Signed Indian Removal Act of 1830. Maysville Road Veto. it favored Northeastern states over Southern and Western (now Midwestern) states. Congress;. it exercised too much control over members of U.S. it exposed the government to control by foreign interests;. it concentrated an excessive amount of the nation's financial strength;. it was unconstitutional;. |