Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage
Learn more about the early life of Andrew Jackson, from his birth and childhood to young adulthood. Contact us with any questions!
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JACKSOn's Birth

American Revolutionary War American Youth Budding Lawyer Tennessee & A Start In Public office Various Careers Tennessee Is Official & Jackson Represents Strategic & Perilous Connections

Jackson's Birth

Andrew Jackson was born March 15, 1767, in the Waxhaws area that went past the borders of present-day North and South Carolina. His parents, Andrew and Elizabeth, along with his two older brothers, Hugh and Robert, emigrated from Carrickfergus, Ireland in 1765.

Jackson’s father, for whom he was named, died shortly before Andrew was born. Raised by his widowed mother, Jackson grew up with his mother’s large extended Hutchinson family that were also Scots-Irish immigrant farmers. His mother had hopes of Andrew becoming a Presbyterian minister, but young Jackson quickly dashed those hopes with his propensity for pranks, cursing and fighting.

American Revolutionary War

The battles of the American Revolutionary War that raged in the Carolinas from 1778 to 1781 had a devastating effect on Jackson’s life. Andrew, at age 13, voluntarily joined the patriotic cause along with his brothers to fight the British.

His oldest brother, Hugh, died of heat stroke following the Battle of Stono Ferry in 1779. In 1781, Jackson and his brother Robert were captured. During their captivity, a British officer slashed Jackson with his sword after he refused to polish the officer’s boots. Additionally, both Andrew and Robert contracted smallpox in prison and were gravely ill when their mother arranged for their release in a prisoner exchange. Shortly after their release, Robert succumbed to the illness and died. Jackson survived.

After Jackson recovered, his mother traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to aid the war effort by nursing injured and sick soldiers, including her nephews William and James Crawford. Tragically, while there, she contracted cholera and died, leaving Jackson an orphan at the young age of 14. Her burial site is unknown.

American Youth

Despite a humble beginning and the numerous tragedies woven throughout his childhood, young Andrew Jackson became a fiery, passionate fighter determined to take life by the reins and succeed.

After the war, Jackson briefly resided with members of his mother’s family but soon went to Charleston and embarked upon a campaign of youthful adventure and mischief.

About this time, Jackson received a modest inheritance from a grandfather still in Ireland. When his money ran out, Jackson finished school and, although he disdained studying, worked as a schoolteacher for a short period. Tall and lanky with red hair and piercing blue eyes, Jackson was known for his fiery temper, fearlessness, playful personality and daring spirit.

Budding Lawyer

In 1784, when he was 17, Jackson decided to become an attorney. He moved to Salisbury, North Carolina, where he studied law by apprenticing with prominent lawyers. After three years, Jackson received his license to practice law in several counties scattered throughout the North Carolina backcountry. To supplement his income, he also worked in small-town general stores.

While living in North Carolina, Jackson gained a reputation for being charismatic, wild and ambitious. He loved to dance, entertain, gamble and spend his free time with friends in taverns.

Tennessee & A Start in Public Office

Soon after his 21st birthday, Jackson’s friend and mentor, John McNairy, was elected Superior Court Judge of the newly formed “Western District” by the North Carolina General Assembly. This territory stretched from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River. As one of his first acts, McNairy appointed Jackson as the district’s prosecuting attorney.

In 1788, Jackson followed the Wilderness Road across the rugged Allegheny Mountains to Jonesborough, Tennessee and practiced law briefly in Jonesborough and Greeneville. He moved to Nashville later that year.

Various Careers

While Jackson continued to practice law in the Nashville area, he took on many endeavors, such as judge, store and tavern keeper, whiskey distiller, boat maker, land speculator, thoroughbred horse racing, general and politician, but farming became the basis of his economic plan.

Tennessee is Official & Jackson Represents

Before Jackson’s military exploits, he played an instrumental role in developing North Carolina’s western lands into the state of Tennessee in the 1790s. In his first elected position in 1796, he served as a delegate to the Tennessee Constitutional Convention in Knoxville. There he helped draft Tennessee’s first state constitution and bill of rights.

Jackson soon found himself in Washington City (D.C.). In 1796, he was elected to serve as Tennessee’s first member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1796-1797). Afterward, he was selected by the Tennessee General Assembly to serve as U.S. Senator (1797-1798).

Due to boredom and mounting financial difficulties at home, Jackson cut his senatorial career short. However, his experiences in the nation’s capital influenced the rest of his life. In 1799, Jackson returned to Tennessee and took a well-paid position as a circuit judge on Tennessee’s Superior Court. This post required him to travel throughout the state, including to the then state capital in Knoxville.

Strategic & Perilous Connections

Despite Jackson’s presumed retirement from public life in Washington, he continued to correspond with important political leaders, such as President Thomas Jefferson. He also maintained other connections of a riskier nature, such as that with former Vice President Aaron Burr. Jackson’s friendship with Burr, who conspired to break up the U.S. for his own personal advancement, almost cost Jackson his future. Luckily, he realized Burr’s intentions in time to separate himself from Burr’s plot.