Andrew Jackson
(www.newgenevacenter.org)
"Old Hickory"
As you begin your investigation on Andrew Jackson, use this helpful information to gain a better understanding of the political events of the "Age of Jackson."
Life Story Summary
Andrew
Jackson was born in 1767 to a poor Irish family. He fought in the
Revolutionary War when he was just a teenager. He eventually studied
law and settled down in Tennessee. He then built a reputation as a
successful lawyer and politician. He served in both the U.S. House
of Representatives and the Senate. He then fought in the War of 1812,
and was well respected for his dedication and courageous efforts.
During the war his militia defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans
and he became known as a national hero. He then set his sights on
presidency.
Presidency
He
became president in 1829 when he defeated John Adams in the 1828 election.
As he began his presidency, he felt he had the support of the people and
he wanted to take charge of the national government. He believed in
a strong president, not a strong government. He felt the government
should let Americans go about their own business. During his presidency
he faced two very hard political fights including the War on the Bank and
the nullification crisis.
War on the Bank
The idea of the national bank had always been controversial. Andrew
Jackson believed the bank's policies hurt small farmers and working people in order
to benefit businessmen. Nicholas Biddle was head of the national bank
during Jackson's presidency. Previously, in 1819, the national bank forced
the foreclosure of a lot of mortgages, resulting in thousands of people losing
their farms and homes.
Jackson was also against paper money because he felt it cheated the farmers
and workers. Jackson and many others wanted a "hard money system."
Nullification Controversy
South Carolina attempted to nullify the tariffs of 1828 and 1832.
Jackson reacted to this with a strong Nullification Proclamation. He also called
for a force bill that would authorize military suppression of any federal
law. Clay's Compromise Tariff of 1833 prevented final confrontation.
Guiding Questions-
*Use the following questions
to help you in deciding what type of information should be included in
your newspaper report!
1. What are the different
points of view of the War on the Bank and the nullification controversy?
2. How do the political
issues affect the readers of the article?
3. What caused both
the War on the Bank and the nullification controversy?
4. How did the
political parties feel about the issues?
An organizer
to help you with guiding questions
Top Websites
Biography and more sites
Andrew Jackson
- Brief history and issues
This is a great website to use for factual information about Andrew Jackson
in general. It gives brief, yet useful information about his background.
Jackson - History
and political issues
This site gives some quick facts about Jackson, information about his
history, and, lastly, his inaugural address.
Andrew
Jackson - Life facts
This site enables the students to read up on life facts about Jackson.
There are many “Did you know...” statements and students can also view documentaries
on Jackson by clicking on different links.
Internet Public Library-
Andrew Jackson's life
This website allows students to read up on
important events in Jackson’s life, view who his cabinet members were, notable
events he was involved in, historical documents, and much much more.
Nullification
Nullification
facts
This site allows you to link to different websites documenting Andrew
Jackson. A few of the links include a biography, a text of his proclamation
of the Nullification issues, and links to other historical facts about Jackson.
Proclamation
Regarding Nullification
This site gives a direct link to the Proclamation Regarding Nullification.
War on the Bank
The
Bank War
Here you will be linked directly to a description on the conflict with
the Executive: Bank War.
All you need to know about
A. Jackson, including the Bank War
This site allows you to find links to just about anything Jackson did.
You can find information from the vice president, to the bank wars, to battles
he was involved in. This may even be a great way to enhance on Andrew
Jackson!