Andrew Jackson (1767-1845)

Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), was the first President born in a log cabin. Earlier Presidents had come from well-to-do families. Jackson, the son of poor Scottish-Irish immigrants, became an orphan at 14. He grew up on the frontier of the Carolinas. Then he moved to Tennessee, where he became a successful lawyer and landowner. Jackson won fame as an Indian fighter and as a general in the War of 1812. He was nicknamed "Old Hickory" because of his toughness.

Jackson was one of the founders of the Democratic party. He won election as President because of the growing political power of new states on the frontier. He had the support of farmers and workingmen. Jackson had a great influence on American political life. Earlier Presidents generally had not provided strong leadership. They did not appeal to the people over the heads of Congress. Jackson insisted that American democracy could work only if the President provided such leadership. He believed that the President should use his constitutional powers to the fullest limit. Jackson vetoed more bills than all the Presidents before him put together. He stood ready to argue with Congress or the Supreme Court in the name of all the people. His slogan was: "Let the people rule."

The 20-year period after Jackson became President is often called the Age of Jackson. It has been described as the years of "the rise of the common man." Under Jackson's leadership, his followers tried to win reforms in the states. They demanded state regulation and inspection of banks. They fought for the right of workers to organize labor unions, and called for a 10-hour workday. They sought adoption of the secret ballot in elections. When Jackson began his second term in 1833, he became the first President who had been nominated by a national political convention.

During Jackson's presidency, the opening of land in the west sped up the westward movement. Wild speculation on land, roads, canals, and cotton led to a business depression in the late 1830's. William Lloyd Garrison organized one of the first societies favoring an end to slavery. The New York Sun became America's first successful penny newspaper. Peter Cooper built the first American steam locomotive used for passenger service, and Jackson became the first President to take a train ride.