One of the earliest stories of Andrew Jackson shows him at thirteen years old, being held as a prisoner of war along with his brother Robert by the British during the Revolutionary War. As the story goes, Jackson refused to shine the shoes of a British officer, who responded by slashing him with his sword in the hand and face.
It is an iconic moment for a man whose entire life would become a symbol for an entire political party, but it wasn't nearly the worst moment of the war for Jackson. By the time he was fourteen, Jackson was an orphan, his entire family having suffered war-related deaths.
Back in his native North Carolina, Jackson worked in a saddle-maker's shop and, with only limited education, taught school and eventually began to practice law in the newly formed territory of Tenessee.
Entry into Politics
When Tenessee sought statehood in 1795, Jackson was named as a delegate to the state's constitutional convention. A year later, he became the state's very first congressman, and still another year after that, he was elected Senator as a Democratic-Republican. Even this role only lasted a year, however, before Jackson resigned in order to accept an appointment as a judge in the Tennessee Supreme Court.
During these early years of Jackson's politics, he was well known for his temper and abilities in a fight. His duals are well known (as was the bullet he carried in his ches through much of his life as a result), and about them much has been written. To put it bluntly, Jackson had a volatile temper, and was quick to use it.
Jackson's time as judge lasted until 1804. During this time, in 1801, he was named commander of the state militia - a post which would lead him to war within a decade.
After retiring from the Supreme Court, Jackson and his wife Rachel lived in their farm, "The Hermitage," near Nashville in semi-retirement.
War and Celebrity
When the war of 1812 arose under President Madison, Jackson found himself finally being called into duty with his militia. He fought battles during 1813 and 1814 against the Creek Indians in the Mississippi territory. His most memorable moment, however, came when he was informed that the British were planning on attacking New Orleans.
The ensuing battle between Jackson's hastily assembled army and the British made Jackson a hero. His men killed more than 2000 British, while suffering just over a dozen losses themselves.
Never mind the fact that by the time this battle was fought the treaty of Ghent had already been signed, and the war was effectively over (such news traveled much slower in those days). It was the principle of the battle which made him a national celebrity.
It was his status as "The Hero of New Orleans" which would greatly help Jackson in his political life to come (even though at this point many had already assumed his political career to be over).
From the Battle of New Orleans, Jackson moved on to another war in 1817, under orders of President James Monroe. The First Seminole War saw Jackson fighting through Georgia and Florida, in the end creating an international incident by capturing the Spanish-ruled territory with its capital at Pensacola.
While Jackson's actions during this war were surely controversial, but in the end led to the ceding of the Florida territory to the United States by Spain. The governorship of said territory was thus given, befittingly, to Jackson in 1821.
The Election of 1824
Though he was officially governor of the Florida territory, Tennessee was still home to Jackson. A year later, in 1822, the Tennessee legislature took advantage of Jackson's heroic status among the American people (he had nearly become a household name by then) and put forth two opportunities for him. First, they elected him Senator once more, and second, they nominated him for the Presidency in the election of 1824.
This election is perhaps the most controversial in American history. For the first time in several elections, the Presidency was truly up for grabs. The "Virginia Dynasty" was over (with the exception of John Adams, the first five Presidents were all from Virginia), and so was the "Era of Good Feelings," where politics seemed to have taken a back seat.
In the election, Jackson found himself facing four other Democratic-Republicans - John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun and William Crawford - as America had not seen the rise of a second party since the final defeat of the Federalists a decade earlier.
The two front runners in the election, Jackson and Adams, were both proponents of the current administration of James Monroe, and seemed to have quite a bit in common (including their choice of running mate - John C. Calhoun, who dropped out of the race in order to accept their offers) for the time being.
After the votes had been tallied, Jackson had recieved a plurality of both the popular and electoral vote (by a considerable margin), though he had not won the election. Because of the number of candidates, he had not been able to achieve the required majority of electoral votes, and the decision thus went to the U.S. House of Representatives.
When Henry Clay dropped out of the race and threw his weight behind John Quincy Adams, thus handing him a seemingly ill-deserved victory, Jackson felt cheated by this "corrupt bargain."
Resigning from the Senate once again, Jackson would spend the next four years preparing for another shot at the highest office in the land - preparation which would finally pay off with the election of 1828, one of the fiercest in American political history.
References:
"Andrew Jackson." American President: An Online Reference Resource.
"Andrew Jackson Biography and Fact File." American Presidents.
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