Andrew Jackson

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What does /pol/ think of this guy? I think he sounds pretty fucking cool.

1) He got offended by a guy who dissed him in a newspaper. So he challenged that guy to a duel. The opponent was known for having great aim. So Jackson let him go first, believing that the speed of having to draw quickly might make his aim a little worse. The guy hit Jackson right in the chest - the bullet was so close to his heart that it was never removed because it would have killed him. Under the rules of duelling, the opponent then had to stand still while Jackson returned a shot. He took his time, aimed for the head, and killed the man.

His reputation was damaged by this affair - people saw the duel as irresponsible and reckless, and akin to cold-blooded murder by Jackson. But he eventually rebuilt his reputation.

2) He was a plantation owner. He bought his first slave when he was young, then built up a huge army of slaves (150 - 300 depending on estimates) to pick cotton and other crops, and make him loads of money. He disciplined his slaves but was known as being quite humane for the time - he fed them well, and allowed the women to have children.

3) In 1813 he led troops who took areas of Indian territory by force. Just took their land. Forced them out. Pretty fucking alpha. His belief in Americans taking territory from the Indians was further enshrined when he was President, in 1830, when he signed the Indian Removal Act, which ordered the forceful removal of Indians from their lands in the Southern US.

4) In 1815, he led the American troops against the British in the Battle of New Orleans, an utterly decisive victory for the Americans which fought off a British attempt to take the port city.

Basically he sounds like a fucking cool guy.