Presidents 7 - 9

Andrew Jackson

During the Revolutionary War, Andrew Jackson was captured by the British. He and his brother Robert had joined the Continental Army the year before, when Andrew was just 13 years old. When a British officer ordered the young prisoner to clean his boots, Andrew refused. The officer slashed the boy's hand and face with a sword. Jackson bore the scars of that attack all his life.

From his youth, Andrew Jackson was proud and hot-tempered, known to fight anyone who dared to insult him. He was born in a log cabin on the frontier. His parents had left Ireland to settle in the Carolinas. Both had died before Jackson was 15 years old. Young Andrew had to grow up quickly.

As a young man, Jackson studied law in North Carolina. He later settled in Tennessee, where he married Rachel Donelson Robards.

While still in his 20s, Jackson was elected to Congress. Then, during the War of 1812, the governor of Tennessee appointed him major general. Jackson defeated the Creek Indians at Horseshot Bend and in 1814 forced them to give up vast amounts of land in Georgia and Alabama. In 1815, he marched to the defense of New Orleans and won a stunning victory when the British attacked. The Battle of New Orleans made Jackson a national hero.

In 1817, President Monroe ordered Jackson to respond to raids by the Seminole Indians in Florida. Jackson exceeded his orders by not only defeating the Seminoles, but capturing the Spanish city of Pensacola. Spain then sold Florida to the United States for $5 million.

Jackson's nicknames told something about his character. The Creeks called him "Sharp Knife." His own men gave him another name -- "Old Hickory." To them, he was as hard and tough as the wood of a hickory tree. The name stuck even after he became President.

Jackson first ran for President in 1824, but the three Democratic candidates split the vote and the House of Representatives voted John Quincy Adams President. Jackson ran against Adams again in 1828, and this time he won. Andrew Jackson was the first President who was neither a rich Virginia plantation owner nor a successful Boston lawyer. His supporters hailed his election as a victory for the common man. He was an energetic, combative President who would occasionally throw spectacular temper tantrums to bully people into getting his own way. He also fired many government employees, replacing them with his own supporters. While other Presidents had used the "spoils system" before, no one exploited it as much as Andrew Jackson.

Like many westerners, Jackson disliked the Bank of the United States, believing it favored wealthy, powerful easterners. When Congress tried to recharter the Bank, Jackson vetoed the bill. Then he ordered the federal government to withdraw its funds from the Bank. These funds were deposited in banks controlled by Jackson's supporters. Although Jackson's actions against the national bank were popular with the vast majority of the public, they indirectly helped to cause the financial Panic of 1837.

Jackson's administration was a disaster for Native Americans. The Indian Removal Act of 1830, which Jackson supported, forced Native Americans off their lands in exchange for territory west of the Mississippi River that white citizens did not want. Federal troops forced 15,000 Cherokees on a trek from Georgia to present-day Oklahoma, a fatal journey now known as "The Trail of Tears."

Jackson decided not to run for a third term and retired to his plantation near Nashville, Tennessee. His own finances floundered during the Panic of 1837, and he suffered from several medical problems as he aged, including tuberculosis. He died on June 8, 1845.

During the Revolutionary War, Andrew Jackson was captured by the British. He and his brother Robert had joined the Continental Army the year before, when Andrew was just 13 years old. When a British officer ordered the young prisoner to clean his boots, Andrew refused. The officer slashed the boy's hand and face with a sword. Jackson bore the scars of that attack all his life.

From his youth, Andrew Jackson was proud and hot-tempered, known to fight anyone who dared to insult him. He was born in a log cabin on the frontier. His parents had left Ireland to settle in the Carolinas. Both had died before Jackson was 15 years old. Young Andrew had to grow up quickly.

As a young man, Jackson studied law in North Carolina. He later settled in Tennessee, where he married Rachel Donelson Robards.

While still in his 20s, Jackson was elected to Congress. Then, during the War of 1812, the governor of Tennessee appointed him major general. Jackson defeated the Creek Indians at Horseshot Bend and in 1814 forced them to give up vast amounts of land in Georgia and Alabama. In 1815, he marched to the defense of New Orleans and won a stunning victory when the British attacked. The Battle of New Orleans made Jackson a national hero.

In 1817, President Monroe ordered Jackson to respond to raids by the Seminole Indians in Florida. Jackson exceeded his orders by not only defeating the Seminoles, but capturing the Spanish city of Pensacola. Spain then sold Florida to the United States for $5 million.

Jackson's nicknames told something about his character. The Creeks called him "Sharp Knife." His own men gave him another name -- "Old Hickory." To them, he was as hard and tough as the wood of a hickory tree. The name stuck even after he became President.

Jackson first ran for President in 1824, but the three Democratic candidates split the vote and the House of Representatives voted John Quincy Adams President. Jackson ran against Adams again in 1828, and this time he won. Andrew Jackson was the first President who was neither a rich Virginia plantation owner nor a successful Boston lawyer. His supporters hailed his election as a victory for the common man. He was an energetic, combative President who would occasionally throw spectacular temper tantrums to bully people into getting his own way. He also fired many government employees, replacing them with his own supporters. While other Presidents had used the "spoils system" before, no one exploited it as much as Andrew Jackson.

Like many westerners, Jackson disliked the Bank of the United States, believing it favored wealthy, powerful easterners. When Congress tried to recharter the Bank, Jackson vetoed the bill. Then he ordered the federal government to withdraw its funds from the Bank. These funds were deposited in banks controlled by Jackson's supporters. Although Jackson's actions against the national bank were popular with the vast majority of the public, they indirectly helped to cause the financial Panic of 1837.

Jackson's administration was a disaster for Native Americans. The Indian Removal Act of 1830, which Jackson supported, forced Native Americans off their lands in exchange for territory west of the Mississippi River that white citizens did not want. Federal troops forced 15,000 Cherokees on a trek from Georgia to present-day Oklahoma, a fatal journey now known as "The Trail of Tears."

Jackson decided not to run for a third term and retired to his plantation near Nashville, Tennessee. His own finances floundered during the Panic of 1837, and he suffered from several medical problems as he aged, including tuberculosis. He died on June 8, 1845.

Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren began to practice law at age 21. Intelligent and ambitious, he wasted no time plunging into law and politics.

Martin Van Buren was a short stocky man with a cheerful, outgoing personality. He practiced law and served in the New York legislature before being elected to the Senate in 1821. During his Senate term, he became one of President John Quincy Adams's chief opponents. Van Buren wanted a President of Jefferson's democratic principles. He soon decided Andrew Jackson would be that kind of President.

Van Buren was an energetic supporter of Jackson in the election of 1825. When Jackson won, he asked his friend to become Secretary of State. Van Buren was one of the few Jackson cabinet members who never quarreled with the hot-tempered President. Jackson won reelection in 1832 and Van Buren became Vice President.

When Jackson decided not to seek a third term, he designated Van Buren to be his successor. Though he was not a crowd-pleasing politician like Jackson, Van Buren had the advantage of running against three Whig candidates in 1934. The Whigs hoped the vote would be so split that no candidate would receive a majority of the votes and the election would be thrown into the House of Representatives. Instead, the three Whigs split the vote of their own supporters and Van Buren won a majority.

Only two months after Van Buren was inaugurated, the nation was rocked by the Panic of 1837. Hundreds of banks closed, and at one time, 90 percent of the nation's factories shut down. Hungry people rioted as the first major economic depression seized the nation. A Jeffersonian democrat, Van Buren believed that the government should take as little action as possible. "The less the government interferes with private pursuits," he said, "the better for the general prosperity."

Needless to say, Van Buren's popularity plummeted, and his political opponents seized the opportunity to denounce him. It took several years for the economy to recover -- not fast enough to help Van Buren win reelection. William Henry Harrison defeated him in the election of 1840. Van Buren tried to regain the presidency in 1844 and 1848, but failed. He eventually retired to his mansion in Kinderhook, New York, where he died of asthma and heart failure in 1862.

William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison gave the longest inauguration speech of any President -- 1 hour, 40 minutes -- and had the shortest term of office -- a mere month!

As a young man, William Henry Harrison studied to be a doctor, but in 1791 when his father died and family finances tightened, he joined the army. In 1798, Harrison fought Native Americans in the Northwest Territory and served as governor of the Indiana Territory from 1801 to 1812. He became known both for his treaties with Native Americans and for his ability to fight them in war.

In 1811, Harrison decided to march with 1,000 soldiers on a Native American town founded by Shawnee chief Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet, on Tippecanoe Creek. While Tecumseh was away trying to unite Indian groups against whites, the Prophet attacked Harrison's troops. Harrison's victory earned him the nickname "Old Tippecanoe."

In the War of 1812, Harrison led a force into Canada where he defeated a combined British and Indian army at the Battle of the Thames River. Tecumseh died in the fighting. The victory made Harrison a national hero.

After the war, Harrison entered politics and became a member of Congress for Ohio in 1816, an Ohio state senator in 1819, and a member of the United States Senate in 1825. President John Quincy Adams made him ambassador to Colombia in 1828.

Harrison was one of the Whig candidates who unsuccessfully tried to defeat Martin Van Buren in 1836. Though he lacked a defined campaign platform, he ran again in 1840. Aided by an economic depression that was blamed on Van Buren, Harrison won the election.

At age 68, Harrison was the oldest President elected up to that time. After delivering a long inaugural speech on a rainy day, he caught a cold which developed into pneumonia. The entire nation was shocked when, just one month later, Harrison died.

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