Blog 1: Summary of North and South and Andrew Jackson's Life Story

The worlds of North and South were very different. The terrain of the Northern coast line was rocky and filled with inlets that made good natural harbors. Inland there was rocky shallow soil that was not much good for farming. Inland still further there was good farming by Iowa and Michigan. This area formed what was called Bread Basket the primary crops there were corn and wheat. The North had harsh long winters and short summers.
The North made money mainly off of innovation and creating more effective methods of manufacturing. It also had the industries of shipping and was home to most of the factories of the young country. Around Iowa the main industry was farming. In the North where rivers were faster and the river were not as good for transport the use of railroads became important. The North's main invention were the Textile Mills. These were serviced by young farm girls who were eager for jobs.
In the North you could climb the social ladder by being innovative. At the top of the pyramid were the most powerful people, they were mostly whites. The company owners would usually be the people at the top, they would be white though. The second from the top was the Assistant manager fro say it would be still the white people. Under them were the workers who weren't paid much and worked in the factories. However even these low paid workers had a chance to rise to the highest class in society. Under them are the new immigrants without jobs, which were particularly Irish immigrants. Also the lowest class of society were freed slaves, although they were free they still were denied many different rights.
The North was densely populated in busy, unhygienic cities where garbage was frequently thrown in the street.
By contrast the South had long summers and shorter milder winters. The south was flatter and generally good for farming especially cotton. Lazy rivers that came up through the land and made transport by water easy. The South had the industries of cotton and tobacco and relied on steamboats to bring these crops to the North for sale to the rest of the world.
A Northern boy called Eli Whitney came to work as a tutor in the South and was interested by the problem of cotton. He invented a machine called the Cotton Gin that would clean cotton faster, intending to lighten the load of slaves. Instead it turned out the cotton gin brought more slaves from other places to come and work for the South.
The South was sparsely populated in plantations which were not very near the towns. Most trade was conducted on plantation owners private docks.
Andrew Jackson and the Indian Removal Acts
Andrew Jackson was born 1767. His father died ten years before he was born. His mother and his two brothers were poor. In his school experiences he was reckless and violent. There was even a quote stated about Jackson and his young years. He would pick a fight at the drop of a hat, according to a friend, “and he'd drop the hat himself.”
When he was 13 the American Revolution broke out. Young Jackson and his older brother Robert enlisted in the local militia. He was captured by the British and was ordered by a British Officer to clean his boots. Jackson said that he was a prisoner of war and should be treated as such. The angry officer slashed at Jackson with his sword and scarred his face and hand. His brother died of a disease contracted as a prisoner and this event ruined Jackson's health for life.
Andrew Jackson decided to become a lawyer and went to train in Salisbury, North Carolina. After he became a lawyer he moved to Nashville. He earned enough money to buy slaves and land and then set himself up as a planter. Jackson always had a hot temper, something he retained even as president. A man named Charles Dickinson insulted Jackson's wife, Rachel. Jackson challenged him to a duel even though the man was supposed to be one of the best shots in Tennessee. Dickinson shot first and hit Jackson near the heart. Jackson stiffened and fired a single shot. He killed him. When Jackson's friends examined his wound and discovered that the bullet could not be removed since it was lodged close to his heart. Jackson claimed “I would have hit him if he'd shot me through the brain.”
Jackson became a senator and a congressman though he is best known for his defense of the city of New Orleans during the War of 1812. This earned him his nickname “Old Hickory” since his troops said he was “as hard as the hardest wood in creation”. In one battle won by General Jackson, British dead and wounded were at almost 2,000 and Americans had lost 6 men and around 8 had been wounded. The public began to admire the General.
After the war he was asked by his friends to become a presidential candidate in the election 1824. He allowed them to run his campaign. There was a four way tie between Adams, Jackson, Clay and another candidate. Clay told his backers in the house to support Adams. This gave Adams the presidency. Clay then got a position in Adams’ cabinet. Jackson supporters claimed this was a corrupt bargain. They used this to attack for the next campaign. In 1828 his supporters began campaigning again. They used the “Bargain” and Jackson’s status as a self-made man. They used his defense of New Orleans and sang campaign songs and wore hickory badges. They appealed to the common population. He was “The People’s President”. They also used a tactic called “mudslinging” involving slinging reckless accusations at Adams. Supporters of the president responded by using old exaggerated stories about Jackson’s wife.
In the end Jackson won the election riding on the votes of the working class. The richer population was in despair. His wife sadly died right before he took office. His opponents claimed that he had established something called the Spoils System. This was a system where political loyalty was rewarded with government positions. They claimed that he was replacing loyal republicans with his own men, including the future president, the Red Fox, Martin Van Buren. In reality only ten percent of officeholders were replaced and many of them were corrupt.
Jackson had several notorious actions such as the ruthless removal of the Native Americans with the Indian Removal Acts. Jackson himself was a famous Indian Fighter. It was under him the infamous “Trail of Tears”, forced removal of the Cherokee took place. His other actions included his battle against the Bank of the United States. He believe that the Bank was a corrupt organization that took the people’s money and made the rich richer. After a long battle he managed to destroy it. The people elected him by an even wider margin.
After two terms he was in feeble health and desiring only the peace of his home. He left the presidency to Martin Van Buren who only served one term before being defeated. After staying connected to Washington politics for the remainder of his life he died and was buried next to his wife Rachel.