Andrew Jackson for Teachers & Students

Looking for great YouTube video clips, books, and free worksheets and lapbooks for teaching and/or learning about President Andrew Jackson? Here you will find my favorite picks we used while studying the individual Presidents of the United States. This is part of a series of lessons I posted on individual Presidents. You can find links to all the lessons at President's Day Unit Study .

Presidential Term: 1829 - 1837

Political Party: Democrat

Vice Presidents: John C. Calhoun (1829-1832) & Martin Van Buren (1833-1837)

Birthplace: Waxhaw area near North & South Carolina's border

Occupation: Lawyer & soldier

Yearly Salary as President: $25,000

Height: 6'1"

Wife: Rachel Robards Jackson (died in 1828)

Andrew Jackson for Teachers and Andrew Jackson Printables offer links to lots of free worksheets covering Andrew Jackson. Also included are book suggestions and general information.

Jackson's Favorite Meringue Cups with Berries Recipe provides a recipe for one of Jackson's favorite desserts, Meringue Cups with Berries, and also includes a description of some of his other favorite dishes.

Andrew Jackson Lesson offers free links to worksheets, research information, and activities related to Andrew Jackson.

Presidents Lapbook provides free lapbook pages for each of the Presidents of the United States.

Presidential Statistics and Points of Interest includes an overview of Andrew Jackson's life and some fun points of interest.

Who Let Muddy Boots into the White House?: A Story of Andrew Jackson by Robert Quackenbush was our second favorite picture book on Andrew Jackson. It is a longer picture book but the author pulls out interesting tidbits about Jackson and presents it in an interesting manner. Trail of Tears (Step-Into-Reading, Step 5) by Joseph Bruchac was our favorite book on the Trail of Tears. It has nice illustrations and the perfect amount of information so that my children (ages 2-10) could enjoy sitting through this book and learning from it. While the Trail of Tears of 1838 did not occur while Jackson was president, it was a direct result of his presidency. Andrew Jackson: Frontier Patriot (Easy Biographies) by Louis Sabin is a good longer picture book that provides biographical information in an engaging manner. It has black and white illustrations. How To Draw The Life And Times Of Andrew Jackson (Kid's Guide to Drawing the Presidents of the United States of America) by Melody S. Mis is part of a great series that combines the Presidents of the United States with art. Even my 6 year old could follow the drawing directions and my 9 year old created some impressive drawings while learning more about Andrew Jackson and the main events that occurred during his life.

Andy Jackson, Boy Soldier (Childhood of Famous Americans) by Augusta Stevenson is actually our favorite children's chapter book on Andrew Jackson, but it is out-of-print and is therefore more difficult to find. It focuses on his childhood and includes the events that shaped him into the great man he would become. It is 200 pages and has black and white illustrations every few pages. Meet Andrew Jackson (Step-up Books) by Ormonde De Kay is best for children in grades 1-3. It has lots of illustrations and is interesting and exciting to read. Andrew Jackson: Pioneer and President (Discovery Biographies) by John Parlin is slightly more advanced than the book by by Ormonde De Kay. It is also best for children in grades 1-3. It has lots of illustrations and is interesting and exciting to read. The World of Young Andrew Jackson by Suzanne Hilton focuses only on the childhood of Andrew Jackson and is fun to read. It is 118 pages and is best for children in grades 2-4.

1829
Smithsonian Museum established
Almost 2,000 of Jackson's supporters given government jobs
Jackson set up "kitchen cabinet" of informal advisers

1830
Indian Removal Act of 1830

1831
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Garrison publishes The Liberator

1832
Jackson reelected for 2nd term.
Jackson vetoed rechartering of 2nd Bank = leads to creation of Whig Party
South Carolina tries to nullify federal tariff laws, so federal troops sent to South Carolina

1835
America is debt free for the only time in history, largely due to the work done by John Q. Adams

1836
Defeat at the Alamo
Specie Circular
Arkansas admitted as the 25th State

1837
Michigan admitted as the 26th State

In the 1828 presidential election, Jackson's opponents referred to him as a jackass. He readily adopted the image, and eventually through the political cartoons of Thomas Nast, the jackass became the symbol of the democratic party.

Immediately following his election as president, Jackson rewarded his supporters by granting government jobs to almost 2,000 of them. He also set up a "kitchen cabinet" of informal advisers, some of whom did not have experience in the areas in which they were advising him.

In 1832 Andrew Jackson vetoed the rechartering of the Second Bank of the US because he insisted it only benefited the "elite circle." Eventually this led to the Panic of 1837 and a national depression.

Andrew Jackson's presidency became known as Jacksonian Democracy which was characterized by the empowerment of the common man. All white men (no just land owners) were granted the right to vote. The spirit of Manifest Destiny dictated that America needed to take over the West. Patronage, rewarding political supporters with jobs, became the political norm. Jackson favored a limited national government (strict constructionism and laissez-faire economics). He opposed banks and paper money and favored using silver and gold.

1835 marked the first presidential assassination attempt. Richard Lawrence pulled two separate pistols in an attempt to kill President Jackson. Both pistols misfired. David Crockett and others disarmed Lawrence.

Throughout his presidency Jackson supported Indian Removal Acts, which included the removal of the Cherokees in 1828 resulting in over 4,000 deaths along the "Trail of Tears."

• President's Day Unit Study - I posted links to each of my lessons on individual Presidents here. In each lesson I included fun worksheets, children's books, YouTube clips, timelines, and recipe ideas. On this page I also included our favorite books and YouTube video clips that cover all of the Presidents of the United States.
• Fun, FREE Hands-on Unit Studies - Looking for all of my lessons and unit studies? Over the years I have posted over 35 science and social-studies based unit studies, compromised of more than 170 lessons. For each lesson I have included activities (with photos), our favorite books and YouTube video clips, lapbook links, and other resources. I posted links to all of my unit studies and lessons on this page.