PIVOTAL PRESIDENTS PROFILES IN LEADERSHIP ANDREW JACKSON Edited by Sherman Hollar Britannica Educational Publishing IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROSEN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
Introduction Portrait of General Andrew Jackson Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division 6
A ndrew Jackson’s road to the United States presidency was a bumpy one to say the least A difficult childhood and limited schooling were among the early hurdles Jackson overcame Professionally he faced political infighting party favoritism and the stigma of being a nontraditional can didate from Tennessee which at the time of his election in 1828 was considered a Western state Through all this Jackson persevered and as this book details became a pivotal president in the process In many ways Jackson’s childhood unfolded like a tragic work of fiction He and his two brothers were raised in South Carolina by a single mother Elizabeth who was widowed shortly before Andrew’s birth in 1767 Elizabeth is believed to have worked as her sister’s housekeeper to support her children The family’s lives were further upended by the American Revolutionary War After the eldest son was killed in bat tle his young brothers Andrew was only 13 at the time joined the colonial militia Captured by British forces in 1781 Andrew and his remaining brother Robert were taken prisoner Their mother eventually won their release but harsh treatment and 7
