Andrew Jackson’s Life & Presidency

1. Andrew Jackson’s Life & Presidency A creative writing activity for students to research and review the major events in Jackson’s life

2. Jackson Children’s Novel Instructions Create a children’s booklet on Jackson. The Booklet must be at least 10 pages. Each page is worth 10 points for a 100 point grade. Must have a title page with your name. Must include at least 6 - 8 sentences per page and some artwork or decoration. Here are the topics to tell about in your booklet. Each bullet represents a page. There are three reference pages to help you write – a page on Jackson’s personal life, two pages of historical information and one page of quotes (optional to use these). You may use the computer or handwrite this project. • Childhood; Nicknames • Adult Life (Adultery Charge, Adopted Indian Child, captured during Revolution, war hero) • War of 1812 (Battle of New Orleans) • Florida Purchase Treaty • Elections (Corrupt Bargain, Mudslinging in 1828) • Common Man President (Invited Common People into the White House) • Spoils System (“One man is a good as another,” Samuel Swartwout Scandal) • Tariff Battle (South Carolina Exposition, Force Bill) • Bank War (Divorce Bill, Veto of Clay’s Bill, Took Away Money from the Bank • Indian Relations (Indian Fighter - Battle of Horseshoe Bend; Indian Removal Act, defied Supreme Court; Bureau of Indian Affairs)

3. Personal Life • Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, on the border of South Carolina. His father died before his birth and Andrew's mother and her three small boys moved in with her relatives. Jackson attended local schools, receiving an elementary education. The Revolutionary War ended Jackson's childhood and wiped out his remaining immediate family. Jackson's oldest brother Hugh enlisted in a patriot regiment and died at Stono Ferry, apparently from heatstroke. Too young for formal soldiering, Andrew and his brother Robert fought with American irregulars. In 1781, they were captured and contracted smallpox, of which Robert died shortly after their release. During this capture, Jackson was told to shine the boots of a British soldier. When he refused, the soldier cut him on the face with a knife. While trying to retrieve some nephews from a British prison ship, Andrew's mother also fell ill and died. • An orphan and a hardened veteran at the age of fifteen, Jackson drifted, taught school a little, and then read law in North Carolina. Jackson thrived in the new frontier town of Mero in North Carolina. He built a legal practice, entered into trading ventures, and began to acquire land and slaves. • He also took up with Rachel DonelsonRobards, the vivacious daughter of the late John Donelson, one of Nashville's founders. Rachel was married but separated from her husband, Lewis Robards of Kentucky. In 1791, she and Jackson began living as man and wife. They married formally in 1794 after Robards procured a divorce in Kentucky. These circumstances came back to haunt Jackson in his presidential campaigns, when opponents charged him with bigamy and wife-stealing. From the beginning, Andrew and Rachel's marriage was a perfect love match. The couple were deeply devoted to each other and remained so throughout their lives. Jackson and his wife had no children of their own, but Jackson did adopt a male Creek Indian child after the Battle of Talledega. Among the dead was found a baby, and Andrew sent him home to live with his mother and later adopted him. He died of Tuberculosis in 1828. • Jackson is remembered as a politician and a President that represented the common people because he started out poor and role up to be the leader of our country. Under his leadership, more people even got to vote.

4. History Info: • 1. Battle of New Orleans. Andrew Jackson led a force of 7,000 sailors, regulars, pirates, and Frenchmen, entrenching them and helping them defeat 8,000 overconfident British that had launched a frontal attack in the Battle of New Orleans • 2. Battle of Horseshoe Bend: Jackson fought the Creek Indians clearing land for settlers • 3. Florida Purchase Treaty: After the War of 1812, Jackson fought the Spanish in Florida eventually leading to a treaty in which the US got that territory • 4. Problems with the election of 1824: In the election of 1824, there were four towering candidates: Andrew Jackson of Tennessee, Henry Clay of Kentucky, William H. Crawford of Georgia, and John Q. Adams of Massachusetts. In the results, Jackson got the most popular votes and the most electoral votes, but he failed to get the majority in the ElectoralCollege. The election was a tie. • 5. Corrupt Bargain:Henry Clay made a “supposed” deal to get John Adams the most votes in the House of Representatives so Adams could become President. Jackson said he, the people’s choice, had been swindled out of the presidency by career politicians in Washington D.C. • 6. Mudslinging in the election of 1828: Candidates called Jackson’s mother a prostitute, called him an adulterer • 7. Jackson’s nickname: He was called “Old Hickory” by his troops because of his toughness. • 8. Problems with Jackson’s Inauguration: People wrecked the china and caused chaos until they heard that there was spiked punch on the White House front lawn; • 9. Conservative Nickname for Jackson. Conservatives condemned Jackson as “King Mob” and berated him greatly. • 10. The Spoils System: Providing jobs to people who were loyal to a candidate during the election.

5. History Info: 11. Samuel Swartwout : was awarded the post of collector of the customs of the port of New York, and nearly nine years later, he fled for England, leaving his accounts more than a million dollars short, and thus becoming the first person to steal a million dollars from the government. 12. Tariff of 1828: A 45% heavy tariff on raw materials like wool, so that even New England, where the tariff was needed, would vote the bill down and give Adams another political black eye. 13. What South Carolina Senator was against the tariff: John C. Calhoun 14. “The South Carolina Exposition”: written by Calhoun in 1828, boldly denouncing the recent tariff and calling for nullification of the tariff by all states. 15. South Carolina Legislature rule on 1832 Tariff: Made the tariff illegal and threatened to secede, or leave the United States. • Jackson’s response to South Carolina: Threatened to call out troops • Force Bill: authorized the president to use the army and navy, if necessary, to collect tariffs. 18. Who refused the Supreme Courts Decision in Favor of the Cherokee: Jackson 19. Indian Removal Act: Indians were moved to Oklahoma. Thousands of Indians died on the “Trail of Tears” after being uprooted from their sacred lands that had been theirs for centuries. 20. Bureau of Indian Affairs : established in 1836 to deal with Indians. 21. Why Jackson hates a bank: To Jackson and westerners, the BUS was simply a tool of the rich to get richer. 22. Henry Clay and the Bank: in a strategy to bring Jackson’s popularity down so that he could defeat him for presidency, rammed a bill for the re-chartering of the BUS—four years early. 23. How did Jackson kill the bank? Hoping to kill the BUS, Jackson now began to withdraw federal funds from the bank, so as to drain it of its wealth; 24. What was Jackson’s nickname other than King Mob? King Andrew

6. Jackson Quotes you CAN use if you want to make your book entertaining. You do not have to use these though. • "Americans are not a perfect people, but we are called to a perfect mission.” • "Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error." • "Disunion by force is treason." • "Fear not, the people may be deluded for a moment, but cannot be corrupted." • "I have always been afraid of banks." • "I've got big shoes to fill. This is my chance to do something. I have to seize the moment." • "It is a darn poor mind indeed which can't think of at least two ways to spell any word." • "It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes." • "My friends never leave me." • "Never take counsel of your fears." • "Nullification means insurrection and war; and the other states have a right to put it down." • "One man with courage makes a majority." • "Peace, above all things, is to be desired, but blood must sometimes be spilled obtain it on equable and lasting terms." • "Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in." • "The brave man inattentive to his duty, is worth little more to his country than the coward who deserts in the hour of danger." • "The wisdom of man never yet contrived a system of taxation that would operate with perfect equality." • "There are no necessary evils in government. Its evil exists only in its abuse." • "There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it." • "To the victors belong the spoils." • "You must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing." • "Heaven will be no heaven to me if I do not meet my wife there." • "After 8 years as president, I have only two regrets. That I have not shot Henry Clay or hanged John C. Calhoun." • “One man is as good as another.”

7. A Sample of A Book I wrote • The following slides are from a booklet I wrote. It is like the book, No David, which uses the repetition of that phrase throughout the book.

8. I’m Sorry, Mr. Jackson A children’s novel about the life of Andrew Jackson By Penny Wood

9. Andrew Jackson had a sad time as a child, but that didn’t keep him from doing his best! He was born just after his daddy died. And then, his mother and both brothers died. After this, he had to go live in a home for kids with no parents. “I am sorry Mr. Jackson,” was all the people said before taking him away. Well, Jackson grew up and joined the army. And, what do you know, he was a great soldier. One time, a British soldier captured him during the American Revolution, the fight to break free from Britain. The British man told Jackson to shine his boots. Jackson said no and the British guy cut his cheek with a knife! When friends heard about this they said, “I am sorry Mr. Jackson.” But Jackson said, “That is ok. It only takes one brave man to make a majority.”

10. Mr. Jackson became a success when he grew up. He went to school to become a lawyer. Then, he fell in love with a woman named Rachel. She and Jackson married, but Rachel had a secret! She had run away from a mean husband a few years ago. “I am soooo sorry Mr. Jackson!” she cried. But, he still loved her and they made everything ok. They even adopted an Indian child.

11. Soon, though, war broke out in 1812 and Jackson was called on to fight. “I am sorry Mrs. Jackson. I have to go away for a while.” Mrs. Jackson said, “That is ok. Do your best and come back alive.” And, he did just that. He won a big battle at New Orleans. Jackson also fought the Spanish in Florida and won that state for us. When it came to fighting, few people were better than Old Hickory, who was as tough as a hickory tree!