***(Editor’s Note: In conjunction with the Inauguration of America’s 44th President, “The Thirsty Quill” is publishing a series entitled “Ranking The Presidents.” There is no ‘exact science’ to these rankings other than personal opinion based on such factors as policy, performance, popularity, perseverance, integrity, and legacy. Aside from those Presidents ranked in the top 25% and the bottom 25%, there is a great deal of ‘wiggle room’ for discretionary placement and movement. These rankings are strictly the personal opinion of the Editor of ‘The Quill,’ and should not be regarded as an academic survey of any type. Debate of these rankings is highly encouraged and appreciated.)***

#7: Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)

Now wait just a minute! Before you go leaning to the “left,” and start ‘kicking up your heels’ in disgust from the label affixed to Jackson in the title, you need to read this review! It will all make sense very shortly…I promise!

“Old Hickory” was one of the most popular Presidents in American history. Even today, we all love having a nice, crisp Twenty Dollar bill, emblazoned with Jackson’s likeness, just staring back at us, almost begging us to spend him in an effort to stimulate the souring economy. He even admitted on more than one occasion just how “afraid” he was of the banks in this country. He typified the phrase “a man of the people”…

And that’s exactly what he wanted to be: a President who identified with the people. Jackson loathed the idea that he might actually be compared to the aristocratic shadows that had preceded him, and he did all that was in his power to be seen as a “common man.” But make no mistake, Andrew Jackson was no ordinary man. No, in fact he was quite far from it, earning him the lofty ranking of #7 on this list.

Born in Waxhaw near the border of the two Carolinas, Jackson ultimately made his home in Tennessee. Growing up without a father, young Andrew quickly learned to be tough and fend for himself. Likewise, he learned to adapt to the environment and challenges around him, to live off the land, and to use a firearm quite handily. As a young teenager, Jackson was even so bold as to take on the responsibilities of a dispatch rider during the American Revolution. He was ultimately apprehended by the British and imprisoned. His brother (who was also a dispatch rider, and was imprisoned alongside Andrew) contracted a grave illness, believed to be smallpox. Jackson watched helplessly as his brother died. He would never forget, nor forgive, the harsh treatment dealt by his captors.

Jackson’s family didn’t fare much better. Even his mother died due to hardships and illness brought on by the Revolutionary War, passing just a short time after Andrew’s brother. The young man was now completely alone in the world, with no one to depend upon but himself. This dependence gave rise to a great love for the newly formed nation. Jackson was convinced that he had a destiny to be a part of her independence, and later, her prosperity and growth.

Jackson was determined to be involved, both politically and militarily, in laying the American foundation. After trying to piece together a background in Law, Andrew began practicing as an attorney, typically on small claims. Yet, he began making a name for himself, and was eventually chosen to serve Tennessee as a member of the House of Representatives, a U.S. Senator, and even a state-level judge in Tennessee.

Still, his highest acclaim would come during the War of 1812. Ultimately rising to the rank of Major General, Jackson became a household name by achieving several key victories, most notably at the infamous Battle of New Orleans (which actually occurred after the war was already over). During the war, some of Jackson’s subordinates included the likes of Davy Crockett and Sam Houston. It was also the period in which he earned his nickname “Old Hickory,” as his men (and even some enemies) often claimed that he was as tough and mean as old hickory wood.

Jackson would later lead a victorious campaign over the Seminole Indians in Florida. This success would eventually earn him the post of Territorial Governor over the newly acquired land from Spain. Along with his experience from Tennessee, this laid the framework for Jackson’s run at the Presidency.

After a near miss in the Presidential Election of 1824, Jackson, and the American people, were convinced that the Electoral College was inherently flawed. They were also more motivated than ever to exert their will in the following election. Giving John Quincy Adams the boot after a single term, Jackson won the top post in 1828. Yet it was during that election that one of the better political stories of our past comes to light.

During the campaign, his opponents and adversaries slandered him, saying that his name would be more appropriately dubbed “Jackass,” rather than “Jackson.” In one of the most brilliant political moves in history, Jackson decided to use this slur to his advantage, rather than throw back a similar insult. Jackson’s followers, who had been using the name “Jacksonian Democrats” (or “Democrats” for short), began posting an emblem of a donkey at Jackson’s rallies and speeches. The people loved it…and it stuck. Those same “Democrats” were the beginning of the modern Democratic Party that is still in existence today (although it cannot be confused with any older parties that employed the term “Democrat” in their title). It is the longest standing political party in the world, and still affixes a donkey (“jackass”) to party buttons, posters, and other forms of promotion. Jackson is still considered the father of the modern Democratic Party, although the ideology has shifted some over the years.

After winning the election, Jackson wanted to extend his graciousness to the people. He therefore opened the White House to the public for his Inaugural Party and Reception. A mob stormed the Executive Mansion, all hoping to share in the moment with ‘their’ President. What had seemed like a good idea at first, eventually gave way to chaos. The mob was too large to contain, and Jackson, a claustrophobe, got so overwhelmed that he eventually escaped to fresh air by climbing through a White House window. However, the crowd continued their impromptu celebration, breaking dishes and stealing food and White House antiques during the reception. Order was eventually restored, and Jackson determined that having an “open invitation” to the public was (perhaps) not the best idea after all.

Jackson is also remembered for eliminating all of the national debt (the only President to ever do so), eroding the power of the national bank, paving the way for newly acquired territories, and maintaining the delicate balance between sectional differences.

His tenure was not without turmoil however. The one dark cloud that still hangs over Jackson’s administration was his removal of the American Indians from their homelands in the east. Thousands of innocent Indians fell victim to the horrors of “The Trail of Tears,” the climax to a shameful period that won’t soon be erased from the history books. Jackson also drew a great deal of criticism for appointing many of his friends and loyal supporters to positions of prominence.

It is rumored that Jackson had quite the compulsion for gambling, and that he had a mouth and temper that went hand-in-hand. Perhaps this lends some credibility to the legend that Jackson’s pet parrot had to be removed from his funeral in 1845…due to excessive swearing.    

Notable Quotations: “One man with courage makes a majority.”

“In a free government, the demand for moral qualities should be made superior to that of talents.”

“Perpetuity is stamped upon the Constitution by the blood of our fathers.”

“I know what I am fit for. I can command a body of men in a rough way; but I am not fit to be President.”

“The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits that favor that theory.”

“There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only in its abuses. If it would confine itself to equal protection, and, as Heaven does its rains, shower its favors alike on the high and the low, the rich and the poor, it would be an unqualified blessing.”

“Americans are not a perfect people, but we are called to a perfect mission.”

“If the Union is once severed, the line of separation will grow wider and wider, and the controversies which are now debated and settled in the halls of legislation, will then be tried in fields of battle, and determined by the sword.”

“Peace, above all things, is to be desired, but blood must sometimes be spilled to obtain it on equable and lasting terms.”

“There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it.” 

Famous Slogans/Phrases: “To the victors belong the spoils.”

#7: Andrew Jackson

PRESIDENTIAL RANKINGS SO FAR: 

#7: Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)

#8: Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt (1901-1909)

#9: Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)

#10: James Monroe (1817-1825)

#11: Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)

#12: John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)

#13: Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

#14: James K. Polk (1845-1849)

#15: Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)

#16: George W. Bush (2001-2009)

#17: John Adams (1797-1801)

#18: William McKinley (1897-1901)

#19: William Taft (1909-1913)

#21/20: Grover Cleveland (1885-89/1893-97)

#22: George H.W. Bush (1989-1993)

#23: Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)

#24: Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)

#25: John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)

#26: Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)

#27: Gerald Ford (1974-1977)

#28: Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)

#29: Zachary Taylor (March 1849-July 1850)

#30: Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)

#31: Chester Arthur (1881-1885)

#32: Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

#33: John Tyler (1841-1845)

#34: Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)

#35: Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)

#36: Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)

#37: James Buchanan (1857-1861)

#38: Richard Nixon (1969-1974)

#39: Bill Clinton (1993-2001)

#40: Warren Harding (March 1921-August 1923)

#41: Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)

#42*: James Garfield (March 1881-September 1881)

#43*: William Henry Harrison (March 1841-April 1841)