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Jackson would use his reputation as a hot-headed man at times, going into simulated rages. At other times, he could appear the most courteous "gentleman".

The major events of the Jackson presidency included:

Refusal to submit to South Carolina, which said they would "nullify", or not pay, high Federal tarriffs. He rejected the principal they tried to establish that a state could decide on its own whether Federal laws applied to it or not.

The elimination of the Second Bank of the United States; a very dubious move; the bank had done much to provide a stable environment in which business could operate. On the other hand, they were a private monopoly given an enormously privileged place in the economy, and they did use their influence to try to affect elections.

General strengthening of the presidency. He established the veto as an unqualified prerogative of the presidency. Up until this time there was a notion that the president could only veto a measure on the grounds of its unconstitutionality. Also, the power to freely make and remake the cabinet was established.

He carried on a strong and generally successful diplomacy, getting reparations from countries which had damaged U.S. shipping during the War of 1812.

He did much to help push the American Indians to the West of the Mississippi. Accomplishment or treachery? From this came the "Trail of Tears", a blot on the history of the United States. For the "rest of the story", visit http://d21c.com/sombra5/Cherokee.html.

In 1835, during Andrew Jackson's presidency, the national debt was completely extinguished for the first and only time. They did this by a great deal of belt-tightening and elimination of corruption by public officials. Mostly though, they benefited by the massive migration to the West, and consequent profits from the sale of public lands.

The contents of the U.S. Treasury were distributed among the states and the states paid each citizen his per capita share in cash.

He greatly slowed the rate of Federal involvement in internal improvements.

Because of the strong opposition he generated in Congress and elsewhere, a cohesive new party of opposition, the Whigs, was created. Thus for a while, America was given a new two-party system.



The 1832 campaign for Jackson's reelection was fought in the midst of two crises. One was triggered by Jackson's veto of the bill to renew the Bank's charter. It did not have to be renewed intil 1836, and was brought up for renewal in 1832 out of political considerations by Jackson's opposition. The other crisis was South Carolina's pending rebellion. Jackson's Vice President John C. Calhoun, a South Carolinian went into opposition to the administration, and actually resigned before his term ended, to assume a seat in the senate.

Jackson again won by a landslide, with the New Yorker and expert political manager Martin Van Buren.

Even in retirement at the Hermitage, Jackson remained a potent force in the Democratic party. But his last years were primarily preoccupied with financial distress resulting from his assumption of the debts of his improvident adopted son, Andrew Jackson, Jr.





His remaining political efforts were in support of U.S. annexation of Texas, a policy that forced him to switch his backing from Van Buren to James K. Polk in the contest for the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 1844.

Jackson lived to rejoice in the passage of the Texas annexation treaty and the victory of Polk over his old foe, Clay. Death came on June 8, 1845, at the Hermitage, where he was buried beside Rachel.


I saw this gravesite when my wife and I walked the grounds of the Hermitage during a visit there several years ago.



This look at the life of Andrew Jackson was presented by Tom (AKA texandy@webtv.net) I hope you learned a little more about "Old Hickory" as I did.



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