If you are bold enough, now is your chance to discuss politics or anything else related to Andrew Jackson! Share your favorite weird, funny, cool, bizarre, shocking, or disgusting story related to Andrew Jackson in the comments section.
Tell us:
1) the story
2) the source (cite it so that any reader could easily find it and see what you saw . . . url is okay)
3) why you found it weird, funny, etc.
Also:a. Post your response to the comments of this blog (first name, last initial, class period)
b. Make sure your story is unique (different from all who post before you . . . any duplicate story will be rejected for being the inferior copy that it is!)
c. Worth 10 points
d. Due by Wednesday 11/16/11 @11:59pm
39 comments:
I found this weird story about Andrew Jackson online. It turns out he was almost the first president assassinated! During a funeral, a house painter by the name of Richard Lawrence approached Jackson. Richard then drew two pistols and pulled the trigger. Both guns misfired, but later under examination were found to be in perfect working condition. This fact seems weird and unique to me because Jackson could have changed history by being the first president to be assassinated. I can only imagine the "Oh, crap," expression on Richards face when the guns did not fire, because Jackson was a pretty tough president being a veteran and helping fight the Indians and Spanish. It is odd to think of how different America would be nowadays if Jackson had been shot because of all the things he has done for this country. Would Clay have been president? And if he was would America be what it is today? It also seems slightly funny that Richard Lawrence probably brought two guns for the assassination thinking to himself that for sure if one gun misfired that the other one would shoot true and hit his target. I wonder what the problem was at the time with the guns that did not let them shoot.
Souce:http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=14461
This is a kind of disturbing story about Andrew Jackson. Apparently, when he was young, Jackson was a very good duelist. But he showed a ruthless streak when he had a duel with Charles Dickinson in 1806. At the first round of shots, Jackson's gun misfired, and Dickinson mildly wounded Jackson. Technically, that should have been the end of the duel, but instead, Jackson just fired his gun again, killing Dickinson. This was strange, because it was against dueling rules, and was considered little better than murder. This act showed a thread of inhumanity in Jackson, a trait not usually associated with US presidents.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel/sfeature/dueling.html
It turns out that President Jackson had to be evacuated from his own house after being inaugurated as the seventh president. After taking the oath of office a crowd of people invaded the White House, eager to meet the new president. Jackson himself was eventually smuggled out of the building when the press of people threatened to crush him against a wall. Thousands of dollars worth of china, paintings, and other items were destroyed by the people celebrating in the White House. I find this story funny, because Jackson was forced to flee from the unruly mob composed entirely of the people that had voted for him. He was the champion of the common man, but when he allowed the people into his new home, they tore up the place!
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/jacksoninauguration.htm
Normally, when we think of Andrew Jackson, we think of a tough'n'stuff type of guy that is not afraid of anything. We may also think of his firey personality. But, I found this very interesting, Andrew Jackson raised 11 children, and none of them belonged to him, they were all adopted or the children of family memebers who had died. Among these children was Lyncoya, an orphaned Creek boy whom Jackson adopted after the Creek war. I find this interesting because it proves that Andrew Jackson was a kind man, too. And the fact that he adopted a children from a tribe he just fought a war against really proves this fact. But, I find this particularly interesting because History class only teaches us so much about a person, when in actuality there is so much more to their lives. I would have gone on thinking that Andres Jackson was a hot head had I not read this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Jackson#Family_and_personal_life
So, a lot of people aren't happy about the fact that Andrew Jackson is on our twenty dollar bill. In the late 1920s the person on the twenty was switched from Grover Cleveland to Mr. Jackson. Then, and now people have objected to him being on our currency. Many people disagree with what he did to the Indian people and how he played dirty to get Van Buren elected. A lot of people nowadays have pushed for him to get off the twenty. Commonly suggested replacements are Reagan and MLK. The ironic part of this whole story is that throughout his presidency Jackson hated paper money. He battled the use of paper money (also known as wildcat money back then) and the banks during his terms. So did the U.S. put Jackson on the twenty to glorify him, or make a mockery of him? The world may never know.
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/andrewjackson/edu/webquest2.html
During 1813 Jackson took part in a duel against Jeese Benton. During the duel he was shot in the arm. The bullet did some pretty bad damage almost causing him to loose his arm. Just 34 days later he was commanding troops. By 1931 the bullet worked its way down to his arm by early 1932 he was in so much pain that he called a doctor over and with no anesthesia the doctor cut open his arm and poped out the bullet. http://ritabay.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/andrew-jacksons-low-tech-bullet-removal/
I liked this story alot because it shows how rough and tough Jackson was and how nothing could slow him down.
Andrew Jackson apparently had an African Grey Parrot that went by the name of Poll. Over its time spent with President Jackson, it picked up on a few swear words that it would often repeat. At Jackson's funeral in 1845, when the preacher was speaking, the parrot started to swear. The parrot had to be removed from the church as it would not stop swearing. I found this story to be amusing for many reasons. First of all, the fact that they would even bring a parrot to the funeral seems a bit absurd to me (it may have been Andrew Jackson’s wish for it to be there). Also, I think that the contrasting elements of solemnness at a funeral and hilariousness of a parrot swearing combine to make one humorous occurrence.
http://soonerbeblue.bloghi.com/2011/01/20/andrew-jackson-s-swearing-parrot.html
I found a story about how Andrew Jackson was the president that had running water put into the White House. The White House had major renovations done during Jackson's 8 year term. The system used three fresh water springs loacted near the White House. Two of the springs were on the lawn of the White House. The other was loacted in Franklin Park. Cistern reserviours were dug and then metal pipes where constructed to carry the water to the White House. Then pump servants would pump the water and then bring it to the needed area. I found this intresting because of Jackson personality as a back country "hick", he had a great invetion placed in the White House that would benifit many people. Although he did not make it himself it was still a good idea to come up with. This story shows that there was some brains behind the madness.
As much as I personally disagree with Jackson’s “my way or the highway” mentality, I believe that he did manage to succeed politically through this one interesting fact. By 1835, Andrew Jackson had managed to reduce the national debt to a mere $33,733.05. He would eventually pay off the national debt, the only President in our nation’s history to ever manage that feat. I found this fact rather ironic, seeing as how Jackson was eventually the cause for the financial panic of 1837.
http://everythingishistory.com/2009/12/02/5-random-things-about-andrew-jackson/
In 1798, Andrew Jackson arrested a man named Russell Bean. Bean had been marching around a courthouse with a pistol and a Bowie knife. He was swearing at and threatening everyone in the courthouse, even the town sheriff. Jackson came down to the courthouse to arrest Bean. Right when Bean saw Jackson, he surrendered immediately. Later when Bean was questioned as to why he surrendered so quickly with Jackson, he stated that when he was screaming and looking at everyone else in the courthouse, their eyes all said, "No shoot", but when he looked at Jackson's eyes, they said, "Shoot".
I find this story interesting because it shows just how intimidating Andrew Jackson really was. Simply by looking at Jackson's eyes, Bean could tell that he was all business and was not a man who would have his patience tested.
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Jackson-Andrew-13726.html
The weird story I found was in regards to Andrew's relationship with his wife, Rachel. First off, Andrew married Rachel before she was "officially" divorced from her previous husband, Lewis Robards. Too, the divorce came as a result of "irreconcilable differences" and the suspicion that Andrew was having an affair with Rachel. In addition, according to the source, the official documents in regards to Rachel's divorce were finalized and kept on record in Natchez but her marriage documents cannot be located, thus begging the question whether the two loves birds were ever "officially" married. I find these stories weird (and interesting) because too often we don't hear the full stories behind our Presidents' lives, we only hear the textbook version that portrays them, mostly, in a positive light with out showing what happened behind closed doors.
An interesting story about Jackson in the War of 1812 was that he commanded American Forces. This, on it's own, is not very shocking; but the American Forces included the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Lower Creek Indians. It is well known that he is responsible for their removal two decades later, so it seems odd that he would lead them in a conflict that gave them land that he would later take away. It seemed that, in spite of leading the Cherokee people as allies and giving them some of the spoils of war, he did not see much difference in the native tribes, relocating them alongside all natives of the area.
Source: http://www.allthingscherokee.com/articles_culture_events_020201.html
Whoops, here's the source for my post:
http://www.wnpt.org/productions/rachel/rachel_mardiv/index.html
I found an interesting story on Jackson that displays his fierce and bold attitude towards politics. France had agreed by treaty to give some payments to the United States government, but was late. Jackson immediately ordered the United States Navy to be prepared for action, and pleaded with Congress to begin the taking of French property in the United States. This made the French people extremely frustrated, and a war certainly was near happening. Luckily the British helped step in, and mediated an agreement between the two powers. I believe this shows that Andrew Jackson would have done absolutely anything to make sure that his great country was protected, and that his pride was protected. I think that no matter what you say about President Jackson, you have to admit, he had great cajones in all of his policies.
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Jackson-Andrew-13726.html
Ok this is a really weird story. Legend has it that Andrew Jackson loved to eat cheese, so as a gift, dairy farmer Thomas Meachum of Sandy creek New York sent Jackson a giant wheel of cheese in 1835. The wheel of cheese had a 4-foot diameter and was 2 feet thick. The total volume of the cheese wheel was over 100 cubic feet, and weighed an amazing 1400 pounds. For two years, Jackson ate this wheel of cheese by himself and with his close friends. Near the end of his second term, in 1837, the wheel was still not finished. In his final banquet held at the White House, Jackson served the cheese wheel as an appetizer, and the thousands of guests gladly ate it up. But this was not the end of Jackson's cheese problems. Just before Martin Van Buren took office, Jackson received another cheese wheel, this time weighing in at 700 pounds. Instead of taking care of it himself, Jackson left Van Buren a very nice housewarming gift at the White House.
http://mentalflossr.tumblr.com/post/3613096828/andrew-jacksons-big-block-of-cheese
In addition to all the weird facts regarding Jackson and the number of bullets in his body throughout his life, which we discussed in class, I found some different but just as equally interesting medical info regarding the seventh president. He had a habit of "slobbering" that was involuntary and unable to be controlled. Jackson was unable to get rid of this habit until he was fully grown. Jackson also contracted smallpox for a period of time in his young life, but eventually regained his health and lived through it. And, if you haven't already had enough, Jackson wasn't only physically messed up, but also mentally- he suffered depression for a great deal of his life, due to the deaths of numerous immediate family members, two of which being his mother and older brother, Hugh. Jackson also suffered malaria, which he contracted in the Florida swamps during the Seminole campaigns of 1818-1821, and finally, Jackson contracted dysentery during this time period in the Florida swamps as well. I find all these stories really weird because Jackson is so often perceived as tough, for partaking in so many duels and living through so many bullet incidents- but most people don't understand that those were not the only things that made him tough. He suffered all these other conditions I've mentioned as well, all while managing to run the country. These ailments show that Jackson had his fragile moments too! Source: http://www.doctorzebra.com/prez/g07.htm
A story about Jackson that I learned about was the time when he was taken as a prisoner of war during the Revolutionary War. He was only 13 at the time. While he was there a British officer asked Jackson to clean his boats. When Jackson refused the officer slashed at him with a sword, leaving a scar on Jackson’s hand and forehead. I find this story interesting and it helps explain why he was so tough. I think it was because he didn’t want to be vulnerable to someone again.
http://www.littleknownfactsshow.com/presidents.html
http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/ajackson.html
One weird story I found on Andrew Jackson was that he buried his wife on Christmas Eve. He buried Rachel in the gardens at Hermitage 1831. Christmas Eve is supposed to be a time when you are with family, signing Christmas songs, giving out presents, and overall just having a good time. Instead Andrew opted to mourn a terrible loss and ruin this festive day.
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Jackson-Andrew-13726.html
Andrew Jackson was the President who was included in the first equestrian statue in the United States. There were three overall, but the one in Washington D.C. that was dedicated on January 8, 1853 was actually the first. The others are located in New Orleans (because of his famous victory) and Nashville (where the Hermitage is). All of the statues were carved by a sculptor named Clark Mills. I found this fact to be very interesting because it was yet another achievement that Jackson was the first to reach. I was also surprised to see that there were not any horse/rider statues erected before Jackson's.
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Jackson-Andrew-13726.html
A little something I found interesting of Andrew Jackson is that he was elected to the senate at the age of 30, which was his first year of eligibility to the senate. He then resigned and commanded a host of volunteers in Tennessee, giving it the name of "The Volunteer State." He commanded them against the British in the War of 1812 rather than staying in congress where he found politics "tedious." He continued on to battle for the United States in the war and at the famous Battle of New Orleans.
http://www.utexas.edu/features/2005/jackson/
Many people may assume that Andrew Jackson was born into a privileged family. Jackson did go to law school and was very successful for his age, as stated by previous posters, but what many people do not know is that Jackson was the first president to be born into poverty. In fact, he was a born in a log cabin. Abraham Lincoln is generally thought of as the first ‘log cabin’ president, but in fact, Jackson beat him to the punch. I find this interesting, because it just goes to show that although someone may have already done something or thought of something (i.e. Protestantism), does not mean it will get out to the public right away. In addition, it is cool to know that Jackson really had to work for his presidency, unlike the presidents before him who were generally very high up in the social ladder for much of their lives.
http://www.biography.com/people/andrew-jackson-9350991?page=3
One interesting fact I learned about Andrew Jackson was about the time he was commanding the U.S. soldiers at the Battle of New Orleans. A newspaper editor had recently written about Jackson’s faults and failures in his newspaper. In response, Jackson sent the man to jail, under the state of martial law. When the editor asked Judge Hall to protect him, Jackson sent the judge to jail as well. Afterwards, when martial law had been lifted, the judge summoned Jackson to court and fined him $1,000. I found this interesting because it clearly shows Jackson’s attitude of doing things his own way and pushing others around to get it done. I was also surprised that he had the courage to attempt something as brash and dangerous as to imprison a judge. I think he was lucky for getting away with only a fine.
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Jackson-Andrew-13726.html
they must have re-done this website since last year; it's much more user friendly now. also, good for you guys for taking APUSH, isn't Mr. H the greatest?
They definitely did redo it Andy, but I never thought it was user unfriendly, if that is even a word. One thing about APUSH is that you never seem to learn your grammar. But I must agree, Mr. H is the greatest indeed.
and we count as 2011, since we finished in that year. Just like we graduate in 2012 even though it is 2011 right now.
We all know Jackson by many names, such as "Long-Knife" and "Old Hickory". We also know him as a tough-as-nails dueler willing to take down anyone in his way. The name "Long-Knife" was given to him by Native Americans, but how did he get the name "Old Hickory"? It was actually given to him by his Tennessee militia while marching, not on a horse but on his own two feet back to Tennessee. But that's only half the story. The reason he walked home was because he let the wounded ride horseback all the way home. I think this is an odd fact given everything we've learned about Andrew Jackson. He was a brutal, heartless, and stone cold warrior on the battlefield- kindheartedness doesn't seem to fit his persona. It's not a creepy fact, but makes me think we might have judged Jackson too harshly, because apparently he did some good in his life.
Source:
http://therandomforest.com/weird-presidential-facts/
so my source got left out of my post so here it is:
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Jackson-Andrew-13726.html
Here's an odd story about ownership... Andrew Jackson and Thomas Hart Benton got into a fight, which ended up having one of Benton's bullets in Jackson's left arm in 1813, until it was surgically removed in 1832.
But that's not it... it was suggested the bullet to be returned to Benton because it was technically still his property. Having reconciled with Jackson years earlier, Benton refused the offer, saying that it had been 20 years in the possession of Jackson, and it is now Jackson's bullet. Really, only 19 years had gone by, but Benton replied saying "In consideration of the extra care he has taken of it... I'll waive the odd year."
I find this a very interesting weird story because it makes this big deal of who still owns the bullet that was lodged in Jackson's arm after 20 years.
http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=10992
Not only was Andrew Jackson a man of competition when it came to duels, he also enjoyed a good horserace too. Jackson was quite talented at it. He spent thousands of dollars updating the White House's stables. He bought his favorite horse, Truxton, after he was defeated by Greyhound. Jackson put his heart and soul into training Truxton. Thousands of dollars were bet during the rematch. Truxton ended up winning, a great accomplishment for Jackson. Finally everyone could see he was a great horse trainer and competitor. Jackson was never able to beat Maria (another horse), something I imagine he was very bitter about. This story is interesting because it goes to show that Jackson enjoys competition. He is known for his duels, but he seeks out competition in other places, like the horse races.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1131998/index.htm
Jackson definitely lives up to his reputation of being one of the toughest presidents in history. When he was just 14 years old, he and his older brother were captured by British soldiers in the Battle of Hanging Rock. Jackson's mother convinced the British to release both of the boys, but they had already contracted smallpox by this time. Jackson allowed his brother and mother to ride horseback on the 45 mile journey home, while he walked barefoot and without a jacket in brutal weather. Delirious, Jackson was near death by the time he arrived. It took him over several months to recover. I found this story interesting because, even at a young age, Jackson was already proving his courage and strength. I could never imagine walking 45 miles under such terrible conditions. The fact that he did this for the sake of his mother and dying brother showed me that Jackson, no matter how tough he portrayed himself as, was also a man of character and kindness.
http://www.doctorzebra.com/prez/t07.htm
Often times, someone can wonder how an important figure was as a child. We might wonder, "Was Orlando Bloom a good student?" or maybe, "Did Abraham Lincoln ever fight with his siblings?" Well, I found out what Andrew Jackson was like as a child. When he was young, he was a prankster. He often took joy in moving around people's outhouses, so that when they went stumbling around at night looking for the bathroom, they would get lost and angry in the darkness of their own backyard. Interestingly enough, he also found it funny to prank his parents at one of their Christmas parties. While every guest that walked in was prim and proper, Jackson escorted his own guests- a bunch of prostitutes. I find this hilarious. A figure we had to come to respect inviting prostitutes into his home for a good laugh and messing with the citizens he grew to want to protect some day.
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/22704
I found a story which I found very funny considering he had the nickname King Andrew. The story goes that a local editor for a newspaper was using his write of free speech in his article to talk poorly about Andrew Jackson. This was during the Battle of New Orleans, so when the battle was over Jackson had this man jailed. This man took it to a judge, because, you know, this has got to be unconstitutional. The judge ruled it habeas corpus which means he could go, but in response to that, Jackson threw the judge in jail! When Jackson finally lifted this, the judge fined Jackson $1,000, which is a lot of money back then. I found this to be very funny just because it seemed like something I would do if I could be in control like that. He considered himself to be above the law in this situation and it just was a great response to his enemies and shows how he never took criticism lightly. He really was a very stern man and I wish I could do this to the people I did not like, but I am no Andrew Jackson.
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Jackson-Andrew-13726.html
We all know that Andrew Jackson was a decorated war hero but how does this make him any different than our many other presidents who have done military service? The answer to this question was that he is the only president to have served in both the American Revolution and the War of 1812. In the war of 1812,he was universally considered the hero of the war and made a very significant contribution to the United States war effort. I found this little anecdote to be quite interesting because I knew that he had been a soldier in the war of 1812 and this fact as well as the events of his presidency is what history will forever remember him in regards to.He was a decorated war hero and I think that may have contributed to his policies under his presidential administration,especially in regards to Indian Removal.
http://www.littleknownfactsshow.com/presidents.html
A story that I found to be interesting about Andrew Jackson was around the time of the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson had been summoned to court by Federal Judge Dominick A. Hall on a contempt citation where he was forced to pay a $1,000 fine. But what had Jackson done in order to cause this citation? A local editor had attacked Jackson in one of his articles, for which Jackson had him jailed after the Battle of New Orleans. The editor appealed this to Judge Hall and obtained a writ of habeas corpus. For doing so, Jackson then had Judge Hall jailed as well. When Jackson finally lifted the martial law, the Judge returned to his position and summoned Jackson. I found this story to be interesting because it shows just how strong willed and protective Jackson truly was, but it also shows that even if you're President, you have to face consequences for your actions, and that Jackson wasn't given special treatment because of his government position.
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Jackson-Andrew-13726.html
Throughout Jackson's life, he had been known for killing people with little to no reason at all. During his duels, he would still fire after each person had fired a shot and if the other person made it out alive in a fight, he would continue to beat them senselessly until someone pulled him off the guy. One thing I found weird about this individual was one of his quotes about the regrets he has in life. "I have only two regrets: I didn't shoot Henry Clay and I didn't hang John C. Calhoun." I found this kind of funny because out of all of the other bad things that he has done in life, the two regrets he had happened to be about not killing 2 people. This shows what kind of president that was leading our country at one point in time. Just as the article is named where I got the information from, Jackson is definately one of the most badass presidents of all time (non-political reasons).
Source: http://www.cracked.com/article_15895_the-5-most-badass-presidents-all-time.html
One tidbit that I found to be quite ironic about "Old Hickory" was where the assassination attempt took place and who his assassin want-to-be was. A man by the name of Richard Lawrence stepped from behind a pillar with two single shot revolvers as Andrew Jackson and Secretary of the Treasury, Levi Woodbury, walked behind the casket of former South Carolina congressman Warren Davis. I mean really, an assassination attempt at a funeral. Warren Davis had died the day before, Thursday, January 29th, 1835. I guess then you'd already have an audience, might as well have just buried Jackson next to Davis had the attempt been successful, why waste time? Richard Lawrence was just weird, he thought he was the King of the United States and England. I thought that mentally handicapped people were treated horribly at this time and this guy got two revolvers??
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Jackson-Andrew-13726.html
New Interesting fact:
I find the saying, "The sins of the Father" to be almost appropriate at this time. Andrew Jackson received a letter from a man who threatened to kill him. This letter, which was written off as a fake for 175 years, was written by Junius Brutus Booth, the father of notorious Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth. I guess it runs in the family, wanting to kill presidents. Junius Booth was an actor and had a knack for acting out. His son, John, also had this same talent, or curse. Junius demanded the release of two pirates who faced capital punishment. If they were not pardoned, he claimed he would slit Jackson's throat. This letter was written on July 4th. Here's the intention, HAPPY 4TH OF JULY ANDREW JACKSON. Followed by several select 3-7 letter words. Good times, good times.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jan/25/letter-threatening-jacksons-life-determined-writte/
I found a pretty hilarious story about Andrew Jackson which showed how he just loved to make his enemies angry and get on their nerves. In 1828, opponents of Andrew Jackson called him a jackass. In response to this Andrew Jackson adopted the donkey as the official symbol of his party. What is great about it is it is the democratic party's symbol now! I literally laughed out loud reading this; it showed me how stubborn Jackson was and he would prove his point anyway possible. I have always thought of Jackson to be a very short-tempered physical guy who wouldn't be afraid to tackle you if you said something bad about him or his family. This proved me wrong showing that he was also good at playing mind games with his enemies, especially in this situation. I just would have loved to see the look on his opponents faces when they saw he made the donkey his political symbol.
http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=13165
New Fact:
When Andrew Jackson was President, he used his power to veto 12 times, which was more than all of the Presidents before him combined. I found this fact to be interesting because it showed how strong willed Jackson really was and that he was set in his decisions that he made while President. Clearly he did something right though since he is the only President who has managed to leave his Presidency with no national debt.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_interesting_facts_about_Andrew_Jackson
I think that Andrew Jackson was a twisted and awful due to the trail of tears and IR. The story goes that once upon a time, there were some nice Native americans who called north america home. But soon the people called Europeans came over and took there land from them. The Natives fought back in vain, against these stronger and more numerous white people. As time went on they were abused and mistreated. Then came president Andrew Jackson, who came up with this great idea to remove all the Indians to the land west of the Mississippi. Because of this over 2,000 Native Americans died because the President wouldn't listen to the supreme court that found it illegal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_Tears
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