Vicious Indian Fighter, Slave trader and owner, duelist, adulterer, devoted husband (to the woman he stole from another), General, Andrew Jackson had all of the traits to make him one of the most disliked and by many, respected Presidents of our country. He was, a man of his time and location; born in what was the frontier, his drive and energy, plus his sense of honor drove him to fight a duel on the slightest pretext, but often over the defense of a woman’s honor. Despised by the East Coast elite who had run the nation since it’s founding, he represented a challenge too that elite and also represented the fact that the United States was going to grow outside of the ideals of the old elite.
In many ways it is difficult to like Jackson even given his times. Yet, he also represented the time when the frontier was opening and the belief that any man could create his own life, even his own empire. Self-taught with an inborn sense of right and wrong, Jackson believed that he could use his sense of virtue to govern the nation. This made him the target of the moneyed class and they used every means to discredit and abuse him.
Much as been written about Jackson’s war on the various Indian tribes and his abuse of them. It was a time of vicious warfare with little pity on either side. He did not like the Indians; he saw their delight in torture, even cannibalism and he believed that if they had close contact with the White man, they (the Indians) would become weaker and degenerate. His policy after his wars was to settle the Indians away from contact with Whites where gradually, at their own speed, they could begin to tread the path towards civilization.
As President, Jackson did have several major accomplishments; he founded the modern Democratic Party, stopped nullification, expanded the vote to all White males, expanded trade and ended much corruption in the Federal system.
His was a complex nature; fierce to perceived wrongs, driven to success, seeking greater freedom for those he viewed as worthy, it is difficult for most today to understand his nature and times.
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