Seventh President Of The United States

Background.

Andrew Jackson's parents migrated to South Carolina from northern Ireland in 1765, two years before Jackson's birth. His father died just before Andrew was born, and the family moved in with relatives. He began life in humble circumstances, was educated briefly in a local school, and joined in the American Revolution before he reached his teens. By the time he was fourteen, the war had claimed the lives of his brothers and mother, leaving Andrew the family's lone survivor. After the Revolution he decided to study law and in 1788 moved west to Nashville to seek his fortune. Although his resources were limited, he enjoyed the gentlemanly pursuits of horse racing, dueling, and hunting. In Nashville he met and married Rachel Donelson Robards; the couple later discovered that Robards's divorce decree ending her first marriage had not been officially granted...