The seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson, was born on March 17, 1767, in Waxhaw, South Carolina. Growing up, he was educated at an "old country school" in South Carolina and, at the age of 13, joined the army as a courier. After the American Revolutionary War, Jackson was left an orphan. Jackson's two brothers and mother had succumbed to death during the war or illnesses they could not overcome, leaving Jackson at the age of 14 to live with relatives. After studying law in North Carolina, Jackson was admitted to the bar in 1787 and practiced until becoming a lawyer in present-day Tennessee. In 1788 he moved to Nashville and became a prominent lawyer. After the Panic of 1795, which ended the prosperous trading boom after the American Revolution, Jackson was left with his land, naming it The Hermitage. Jackson lived as a cotton planter with a handful of slaves, between his business activities and his political efforts. After marrying Rachel Donelson in 1791, they would later remarry in 1794 after discovering that his first marriage to someone else had not ended legally. This would later be ammunition for his opposition who claimed that Rachel was a bigamist and he was a wife thief. Henry Clay of Kentucky, John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, and William H. Crawford of Georgia were the opponents Jackson faced. All three of these candidates were experienced politicians, while Jackson was simply referred to as "military." Jackson's supporters often refer to the 1824 election as a "stolen election." Although Jackson swept the polls thanks to the popular vote, he did not win the electoral vote. This resulted in the election being chosen by the House of Representatives. Jackson was defeated by his rival Jo...... middle of paper ...... States. With all his achievements and great achievements, Andrew Jackson will be known as responsible for the rise of democracy in the United States. If Andrew Jackson were not elected president, our nation could be very different from the one we know today. : Andrew Jackson: A Life in Brief." Miller Center for Public Affairs. University of Virginia President and Visitors, 2011. Web. April 3, 2011. "Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil, and the Presidency. Andrew Jackson: A Life. The Union Defender | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Red Hill Productions and Community Television of Southern California, 2007. Web. April 3, 2011. Reynolds, David S. Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson. New York: Harper Perennial, 2009. Print.Van, Deusen Glyndon G. The Jacksonian Era, 1828-1848 New York: Harper, 1959. Print..