background

• born March 15, 1767; died June 8, 1845

• born in the Carolinas

• 7th president of the United States - served 1829-1837

• general in US army

• served in House of Representatives and US Senate

• widely viewed as representative of a "common man" rather than playing into the traditional aristocratic norms of those who'd previously held his position

• became a lawyer, served on Tennessee Supreme Court as a judge

• lost election in 1824, defeated John Adams when he ran again in 1828

• member of Democratic Party

• survived first ever assassination attempt of a (sitting) president (Jan 1835)

• highly divisive - strong support, strong opposition

domestic policy

• entered office without clear vision for policy goals other than vengeance on Indigenous peoples - this he succeeded in

trail of tears

result of the "Indian Removal Act"

• forced over 100,000 Indigenous people from the Southeastern US to Oklahoma Territory
  

• born from fear + resentment of Native tribes by colonizers
  

• cultural differences, misunderstanding

• settlers believe they deserve Indigenous peoples' land

• one option: "civilizing" Indigenous peoples
  

• convert to Christianity, educate in English, and learn how to operate economically European (ie. land ownership). this was supported by many, eg. George Washington

• other option: forced "Indian removal"
  
  background
  

• land mainly located in Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida → valuable land

• white settlers commit mass murder of Indigenous tribes, steal animals, forcibly take land, burn and loot houses/settlements

• Jackson neglected to recognize the 1832 US Supreme Court ruling that decided that Indigenous tribes were sovereign nations and did not have to comply with the US' laws

• brutally attacked Creeks in Georgia/Alabama and Seminoles in Florida while serving as an army general

• 1830: signs Indian Removal Act

• federal government can now take Indigenous land east of the Mississippi and use it for Western US settlements, moving the people into territory bought in the Louisiana purchase (present-day Oklahoma)

• law requires fair + peaceful negotiations; Jackson ignores this and forces Indigenous peoples off the land they've lived on for generations

• 1831: Choctaw is first nation to be expelled from land under threat of US army

• made journey to Oklahoma on foot (historian: some were "bound in chains and marched double file") - no food, supplies, or help from government

• thousands of people died along the way - "trail of tears and death" (Choctaw leader)

• 1836: 3,500/15,000 (over 20%) of Creeks died along the way

• unofficial Cherokee representatives sign away their land

• 16,000 Cherokee sign a petition trying to stop it, Congress goes through anyway (on Jackson's orders)

foreign policy

• not the main concern of Jackson administration

• mainly negotiating treaties for

• trade openings

• settling damage claims

• only controversial foreign policy - Jackson repudiates demands of Adams administration regarding Britain's involvement with trade in West Indies

• 1831 treaty with French - almost leads to conflict; France will pay claims for Napoleonic depredations on US shipping, but French refuse to provide funds, military preparations began in 1835, but British convinced French to pay their debt

• invested in getting Texas from Mexico

• chose Anthony Butler to negotiate - this is a mistake as he is impatient and hardly willing to cooperate with the uncoordinated Mexican government

• increases Mexican apprehension of American claims in Texas

reference sources

https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/trail-of-tears (history.com - Trail of Tears)

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-cherokees-vs-andrew-jackson-277394/ (Smithsonian Magazine - Cherokee history + Andrew Jackson)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/andrew-jackson/ (The White House - Andrew Jackson)

https://millercenter.org/president/jackson/foreign-affairs (Miller Center - Jackson's foreign affairs)