Andrew Jackson, ( ), 7th President of the United States, was a rough-hewn military hero,

…but regarded by many as the symbol and spokesman of the “common man.”

Jackson was a man of the people, and he strongly felt that the common man was the power behind government.

Andrew Jackson was the first man to be elected to the highest office of the United States without money, an expensive education, or upper-class connections.

As President he sought to act as the direct representati ve of the common man.

He was widely acclaimed as the symbol of what the new American thought himself to be- a self-made man, son of the frontier…

Jackson was a man of humble background.

Born in a backwoods settlement in the Carolinas in 1767, he received little education.

Born the third child of impoverished Irish immigrants, Jackson joined the Army at the age of thirteen to fight in the Revolutionary War…

During the war, an angry British officer wielding a sword struck him in the face for being disrespectful. Jackson carried this scar for the rest of his life, a reminder of his hate for the British.

But in his late teens he studied and became an outstanding young lawyer in Tennessee.

Jackson was a brash, strong- willed man…

He first got his fame in 1815 when he defeated the British Army at New Orleans…

…with his untrained militia during the War of 1812.

On July 17, 1821, Jackson’s troops took possession of Florida from Spain and began his term as governor.

Jackson entered the White House in 1829 after winning the second of two vigorously fought election campaigns.

The election of 1828 was the first mass- marketed campaign, complete with fireworks shows, barbecues, and public rallies.

His backwoods, populist style ushered in a new era of increased political participation.

The people claimed him as one of their own!

Most of his votes came from the West and South.

People who had moved into the western United States did things differently…

For example, in the new six frontier states, they allowed all white men over the age of 21 to vote.

(In the original 13 states, you still had to own property to be able to vote!)

More nearly than any of the Presidents before him, Andrew Jackson was elected by popular vote.

As a result of these expanded voting rights, almost 3 times the number of votes were cast in the election of 1828 than in earlier elections!

Candidates from less-wealthy families now had a much better chance of being elected to the highest office in the country- the Presidency!

Jackson’s election changed America into what would become more of a democracy to benefit the common man.

Giving the vote to more people made the western frontier the more “democratic” region of the country.