Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States, serving from 1829 to 1837.
Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses of the U.S. Congress.
Jackson was the first U.S. president to come from the area west of the Appalachians and the first to gain office by a direct appeal to the mass of voters.
His political movement has since been known as Jacksonian Democracy.
Jackson was a military hero, having served as a major general in the War of 1812 and defeating the British at the Battle of New Orleans.
He was also a wealthy planter who owned hundreds of African American slaves during his lifetime.
While Jackson was not very vocal about slavery, he respected the right of individuals to own property and had no moral qualms when it came to profiting from slavery.
Jackson’s presidency was marked by a radical shift in leadership, assets and foreign affairs.
He sought to act as the direct representative of the common man and believed that government duties could be “so plain and simple” that offices should rotate among deserving applicants.
Jackson was known for his aggressive spirit, which led to immense success at times and disastrous consequences at others.
Andrew Jackson cause of death
Jackson died on June 8, 1845, at the age of 78, at his home, the Hermitage, in Nashville, Tennessee.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Jackson died of a combination of heart failure and tuberculosis.
He had been in unremitting pain for decades before his death, suffering from chest pains, coughing up blood, and recurring chills and fever.
The fevers could have been due to malaria, stemming from Jackson’s battles in the mosquito-infested Florida swamps during the Seminole wars 25 years earlier.
Another possible culprit was tuberculosis, which he could have contracted as a teenager when he and his brother were locked up by the British.
Jackson’s fondness for dueling also played a part in the symptoms he suffered at the end of his life.
By his 1829 inauguration, he was feeling the effects of his propensity for dueling, with two bullet wounds causing him unrelenting chest pain.
Although some historians have suggested that Jackson experienced lead and mercury poisoning following his therapeutic use of calomel, a mercury-containing compound, his death was probably not due to heavy metal poisoning.
Public reaction to Andrew Jackson’s death
Jackson’s death was a significant event in American history, and it was met with a mixture of reactions from the public.
His death was widely mourned by the American people, who saw him as a hero and a symbol of American democracy.
Many newspapers published obituaries and tributes to Jackson, praising his leadership and accomplishments.
Jackson’s funeral was attended by thousands of people, who came to pay their respects to the former president.
Some people criticized Jackson’s legacy, particularly his treatment of Native Americans and his support for slavery.
Jackson’s death also sparked a debate about his place in American history, with some people arguing that he was a great president and others arguing that he was a flawed leader.
Andrew Jackson’s political career
Jackson’s political career began in Tennessee, where he rose to prominence as a lawyer and judge.
He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1795, then Tennessee’s first congressman, and then a senator.
Jackson resigned his Senate post after one year to take a job closer to home, as judge of Tennessee’s superior court.
In 1802, he challenged Governor John Sevier for election as major general in command of the state militia.
Jackson’s rise in Tennessee politics was meteoric, attesting to his strength of character.
He was brave in a fight and steadfast to his friends.
However, his violent and dangerous reputation also hindered his political advancement.
Jackson resigned his judgeship in 1804 and devoted his efforts thereafter to his militia command and his business ventures.
He speculated in land, acquired slaves, bred and raced horses and engaged in merchandising.
Jackson’s political career continued to evolve, and he went on to serve in both houses of the U.S. Congress before being elected as the seventh President of the United States in 1829.
