What Happened to Andrew Jackson?
Andrew Jackson, the seventh U.S. President, was a pivotal figure in American history, known for championing the 'common man' and expanding presidential power. His legacy is highly controversial, celebrated for his military victories and strengthening the Union, but heavily criticized for his policies of Native American removal, including the Trail of Tears, and his extensive ownership of enslaved people. Modern discussions continue to re-evaluate his place in American memory, particularly concerning his image on the $20 bill and public monuments.
Quick Answer
Andrew Jackson, the 7th U.S. President (1829-1837), is remembered for his populist appeal, military heroism, and firm stance against nullification, which solidified federal power. However, his legacy is profoundly controversial due to his role in the forced displacement of Native Americans via the Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears, and his ownership of enslaved people. As of 2026, debates persist regarding his historical veneration, with ongoing efforts to replace his image on the $20 bill with Harriet Tubman and discussions about the removal or contextualization of his statues.
📊Key Facts
📅Complete Timeline15 events
Born in Waxhaws
Andrew Jackson is born in the Waxhaws region, on the border of North and South Carolina, to Scots-Irish immigrant parents.
Revolutionary War Service and Capture
As a young boy, Jackson serves as a courier for the Continental Army and is captured and imprisoned by the British, suffering greatly in captivity.
Helps Found Tennessee and Serves in Congress
Jackson helps lay the foundation for the State of Tennessee, serving in its Constitutional Convention and becoming its first U.S. Representative, then a U.S. Senator.
Victory at Battle of New Orleans
Jackson achieves national heroism with a decisive victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.
Serves as Governor of Florida Territory
After Spain cedes Florida to the U.S., Jackson briefly serves as its first territorial governor.
Inaugurated as 7th U.S. President
Andrew Jackson is inaugurated as the seventh President of the United States, ushering in the era of Jacksonian Democracy.
Signs Indian Removal Act
President Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, authorizing the forced relocation of Native American tribes from their lands in the southeastern U.S.
Vetoes Second Bank Recharter
Jackson vetoes the bill to recharter the Second Bank of the United States, initiating the 'Bank War' and asserting presidential power against the national bank.
Issues Nullification Proclamation
Jackson issues a proclamation against South Carolina's attempt to nullify federal tariffs, asserting the federal government's supremacy and threatening military action.
Trail of Tears
The forced removal of the Cherokee Nation, known as the 'Trail of Tears,' results in thousands of deaths, a direct consequence of Jackson's Indian Removal policy.
Dies at The Hermitage
Andrew Jackson dies at his Hermitage plantation in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 78.
Harriet Tubman Announced to Replace Jackson on $20 Bill
The U.S. Treasury announces plans to replace Andrew Jackson's portrait with Harriet Tubman's on the front of the $20 bill, moving Jackson to the back.
Jackson, MS City Council Votes to Relocate Statue
The Jackson, Mississippi City Council votes 5-1 to relocate the Andrew Jackson statue from outside City Hall, citing his controversial history as a slave owner and proponent of the Trail of Tears.
Ongoing Debate on $20 Bill Replacement
As of May 2025, Harriet Tubman's image remains scheduled to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill by 2030, though political uncertainty continues to fuel debates over the change.
Legacy Continues to be Reevaluated
Andrew Jackson's legacy remains a subject of active historical reevaluation and public debate, particularly concerning his role in Native American removal, slavery, and his place on national currency and in public spaces.
🔍Deep Dive Analysis
Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) rose from humble beginnings in the Waxhaws region of the Carolinas to become a prominent lawyer, military general, and ultimately the seventh President of the United States. His early life was marked by hardship, including service as a boy in the Revolutionary War and being orphaned at a young age. He established himself in Tennessee, where he became a wealthy planter, profiting from the forced labor of hundreds of enslaved African Americans at his Hermitage plantation.
Jackson's military career brought him national fame, particularly his decisive victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, earning him the nickname 'Old Hickory'. This popularity propelled him into national politics, culminating in his election to the presidency in 1828. His two terms (1829-1837) were characterized by a significant expansion of executive power and the rise of 'Jacksonian Democracy,' which advocated for the common white man and challenged established elites.
Key turning points and controversies of his presidency include the 'Bank War' and the 'Nullification Crisis.' Jackson vehemently opposed the Second Bank of the United States, viewing it as an unconstitutional institution that favored wealthy interests. His veto of its recharter in 1832 and subsequent removal of federal deposits led to its eventual dismantling, a move that redefined presidential power and contributed to the Panic of 1837. In the Nullification Crisis, Jackson confronted South Carolina's attempt to nullify federal tariffs, asserting the supremacy of federal law and threatening military force to preserve the Union, a stance that solidified the federal government's authority.
However, the most enduring and heavily criticized aspect of Jackson's legacy is his policy toward Native Americans. He championed and signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which authorized the forced relocation of numerous Indigenous nations, including the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole, from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). This policy led to the devastating 'Trail of Tears,' during which thousands of Native Americans died from exposure, disease, and starvation. Scholars have classified these events as ethnic cleansing and even genocide.
In contemporary times, Andrew Jackson's legacy remains a subject of intense debate and reevaluation. His image on the U.S. $20 bill has been a focal point of this discussion. In 2016, the U.S. Treasury announced plans to replace Jackson with Harriet Tubman on the front of the $20 bill, with Jackson's image moving to the back. While the design was reportedly completed by 2019, political uncertainties have delayed its release, with a preliminary date for circulation set for 2030. As of April 2025, Senator Jeanne Shaheen introduced a bill advocating for the new design featuring Tubman. Public opinion polls in February 2025 indicated that Andrew Jackson draws the most opposition among currently featured figures on U.S. money.
Furthermore, monuments and statues of Andrew Jackson have faced scrutiny and calls for removal or recontextualization. For instance, in June 2020, protesters attempted to take down his equestrian statue in front of the White House. In Jackson, Mississippi, the City Council voted in July 2020 to relocate a statue of Andrew Jackson from outside City Hall, though as of June 2024, the statue still stands due to various hurdles and ongoing debate about erasing history versus acknowledging a flawed past. In Jackson County, Missouri, a legislative effort in June 2023 to remove statues of Jackson from county courthouses was introduced, following a failed county-wide vote in 2020 to remove them. These ongoing discussions underscore the complex and often painful aspects of Jackson's historical impact that continue to resonate in American society today.
What If...?
Explore alternate histories. What if Andrew Jackson made different choices?