Jackson
After achieving fame as a military leader in wars with Britain and the American Indians, Andrew Jackson was President of the United States between 1829 and 1837. His 1830 Indian Removal Act relegated Native Americans to land west of the Mississippi River; their 'removal' claimed thousands of lives. Here, Jackson's portrait is framed by this policy; he is the "Great White Father with a sword" (326). His rough frontier persona is emphasized, rather than the high office he achieved: "An old duellist, a brawling lean fierce mangy durable imperishable old lion" (326). Quick to take offense, Jackson spent a significant portion of his time in the White House defending the terms of his marriage to Rachel Donelson Robards. He married Rachel after she separated from her first husband, but not before her divorce was finalized, thus invalidating the Jacksons' marriage. They remarried, but the stigma of bigamy remained.
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