Andrew+Jackson's+Life+Before+Presidency

1) When Andrew Jackson was thirteen he and his brother joined a local regiment as couriers, later the two of them were captured by the British and held as prisonors of war.

2) At the age of fourteen Jackson was orphaned because everyone in his imediate family had died of war-related hardships.

3) In 1781, Jackson worked for a time in a saddle-maker's shop.

4) He taught school and studied law in Salisbury, North Carolina.

5) Jackson began to prosper in the rough-and-tumble world of frontier law.

6) In 1796, Jackson was a delegate to the Tennessee constitutional convention. When Tennessee achieved statehood that same year, Jackson was elected its U.S. Representative.

7) Besides his legal and political career, Jackson prospered as a planter and merchant.

8) Jackson was appointed commander of the Tennessee militia in 1801, with the rank of colonel.

9) Jackson's service in the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom was conspicuous for bravery and success.

10) It was said he was "tough as old hickory" wood on the battlefield, which gave him his nickname.