Skip to main content

March 15, 1767 - Andrew Jackson

His presidency reshaped the relationship between federal power and Indigenous sovereignty in ways that proved catastrophic for tens of thousands of people. The forced relocation of Native nations under the Indian Removal Act of 1830 — culminating in what became known as the Trail of Tears — stands as the defining harm of his tenure, carried out through executive will and legal maneuvering that bypassed even a Supreme Court ruling. He remains a contested figure precisely because his political legacy and his record of displacement and violence are inseparable.

From Wikipedia

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. He rose to fame as a U.S. Army general and served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. His political philosophy, which dominated his presidency, became the basis for the rise of Jacksonian democracy. His legacy is controversial: he has been praised as an advocate for white working Americans and preserving the union of states, and criticized for his racist policies, particularly towards Native Americans.

Jackson was born in the colonial Carolinas before the American Revolutionary War. He became a frontier lawyer and married Rachel Donelson. He briefly served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, representing Tennessee. After resigning, he served as a justice on the Tennessee Superior Court from 1798 to 1804.

⚠ Report a problem with this article

  • Last updated on .