One of my favorite presidents in American History, Andrew Jackson is truly a bad ass. The third son of Scots-Irish parents, Andrew was born in the southern half of the soon to be United States. His father died in a logging accident shortly before his birth and his mother raised her son’s in South Carolina at her sisters home. During the American Revolution, Jackson was only nine, yet volunteered as a courier. One of his brothers was killed during the war and later he and his other brother became prisoners of the British for several weeks. A slash from the saber of a British Officer resulted in deep resentment towards the nation. He carried his anger until his death.
The man people called “Old Hickory” was probably the biggest character in American political history, followed closely by both Roosevelts. Elected in 1828, Jackson actually scared his fellow politicians because of his methods and his blatant disregard for laws. People used to have such awesome nicknames, in Andrew Jacksons case, the name came to him, depending on who you ask, because of his tendency to beat people with his hickory cane. Furthermore, Jackson was an avid fan of dueling and according so legitimate sources, he participated in thirteen. On one occasion, a man named Charles Dickinson was invited to duel with the president. Always the good sport, Jackson actually allowed Dickinson to have the first shot, resulting in a bullet which remained lodged in his chest for years to come. After the bullet stopped two inches from his heart, the president countered and ended the life of Mr. Dickinson.
Jackson was also the first president to receive an assassination attempt when Richard Lawrence used two pistols which both misfired. The odds of both pistols misfiring is somewhere around 1:125,000. Following the attempt, Old Hickory furthered the legend of his nickname by pummeling Mr. Lawrence to near death.
Before his death, Jackson gave his most famous quote as he reflected on his life’s achievements:
“I have only two regrets: I didn’t shoot Henry Clay and I didn’t hang John C. Calhoun.”
If you didn’t know, Calhoun was Jackson’s vice president.
During the writing of this blog, I discovered a little piece of information I found to be hilarious. Ulysses S. Grant, while in office, received a twenty dollar ticket for speeding on his horse. He was forced to walk home to the white house.
1 Comment
June 8, 2008 at 6:45 am
You didn’t even mention the dismantling of the national bank! (I think that’s what caused the rift between Jackson and Calhoun, but don’t quote me on it). I do like Jackson except for the Indian Removal Act. Fuck that.