Andrew Jackson

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Andrew Jackson summary

Andrew Jackson

Q: What was Andrew Jackson’s education?

Andrew Jackson did not have much formal education as a child, and he was imprisoned by the British during the American Revolution , when he was in his teens. However, he later studied law and became a lawyer and a politician.

Q: How did Andrew Jackson become famous?

As leader of the Tennessee militia, during the War of 1812 Andrew Jackson decisively defeated the Creek Indians (allied with the British). His heroic defeat of the British in the Battle of New Orleans cemented his reputation as a war hero. In 1817–18 he responded to Seminole raids into Georgia by taking control of Spanish Florida .

Q: What were Andrew Jackson’s accomplishments?

Andrew Jackson was the first to be elected president by appealing to the mass of voters rather than the party elite. He established the principle that states may not disregard federal law . However, he also signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which led to the Trail of Tears .

Q: Should the United States use the Electoral College in presidential elections so that candidates such as John Quincy Adams may win over popular vote winners like Andrew Jackson?

Whether the United States should use the Electoral College in presidential elections so that candidates such as John Quincy Adams can win over popular vote winners like Andrew Jackson is heavily debated. Some say the Electoral College was created to protect the voices of the minority from being overwhelmed by the will of the majority and ensures that that all parts of the country are involved in selecting the president. Others say the Electoral College is rooted in slavery and racism and gives too much power to swing states and allows the presidential election to be decided by a handful of states. For more on the Electoral College debate, visit ProCon.org .

president of United States

Also known as: Old Hickory

Written by Harold Whitman Bradley

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 15, 2024 • Article History

Andrew Jackson

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Category: History & Society

Byname:: Old Hickory

Born:: March 15, 1767, Waxhaws region, South Carolina [U.S.]

Died:: June 8, 1845, the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. (aged 78)

Title / Office:: presidency of the United States of America (1829-1837), United States; United States Senate (1797-1798), United States; House of Representatives (1796-1797), United States

Political Affiliation:: Democratic Party

Awards And Honors:: Hall of Fame (1910)

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What was Andrew Jackson’s education?

How did Andrew Jackson become famous?

What were Andrew Jackson’s accomplishments?

Should the United States use the Electoral College in presidential elections so that candidates such as John Quincy Adams may win over popular vote winners like Andrew Jackson?

Andrew Jackson (born March 15, 1767, Waxhaws region, South Carolina [U.S.]—died June 8, 1845, the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.) was a military hero and the seventh president of the United States (1829–37). He was the first U.S. president to come from the area west of the Appalachians and the first to gain office by a direct appeal to the mass of voters. His political movement has since been known as Jacksonian Democracy. Jackson was born on the western frontier of the Carolinas, an area that was in dispute between North Carolina and South Carolina, and both states have claimed ...(100 of 3829 words)

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