Jackson, Andrew
Born March 15, 1767
Waxhaw Settlement, South Carolina
Died June 8, 1845
Nashville, Tennessee
United States president, congressman, general, governor, judge
"I thank God that my life has been spent in a land of liberty and that he has given me a heart to love my country with the affection of a son. And filled with gratitude for your constant and unwavering kindness, I bid you a last and affectionate farewell."
From Jackson's farewell address to the American people, March 4, 1837
Few individuals played as crucial a role in the early westward expansion of the United States as Andrew Jackson. As a military leader, Jackson led his ragtag band of soldiers to victories over several tribes and scored a decisive victory over the British in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 (1812–14; a conflict between the British and the Americans over the control of the western reaches of the United States and over shipping rights in the Atlantic Ocean). Made famous by his military victories, Jackson went on to become the seventh president of the United States. As president, Jackson oversaw the large-scale removal of native peoples from the eastern United States.
