Why Andrew Jackson is in Bill and Coin Collections

Would you rather be on a bill or in a coin collection? Personally, I’d rather be part of someone’s coin collection. Andrew Jackson was honored with the $20 bill in 1929, almost a hundred years after he was first elected as president.

He was of Scotch-Irish descent and lived on the frontier in Western Tennessee. In the War of 1812, in which he served as Major General, he defended New Orleans from the British and handed them a disastrous loss.

Thereafter, in 1818, in the Jackson purchase, he won all the land east of the Mississippi and north of the state line, today known as Western Tennessee and Kentucky. Then with two other investors, Jackson founded the city of Memphis.

Due to the Seminole invasions in Georgia, President Monroe ordered Jackson to end conflict in Florida. Jackson believed it would more advantageous for the U.S. to hold Florida than to simply prevent fighting. Jackson ruthlessly executed British troops who were aiding Seminoles, ultimately causing Florida to cede the territory in 1821. Jackson was then named military governor.

When the House of Representatives handed John Quincy Adams the presidency despite Jackson’s winning the popular vote, it burnished his reputation as a man of the people.

By the time he became president in 1828, he had founded the Democratic Party. He paid off entirely the U.S. debt by 1835, and was the first president from West of the Appalachians.

His list of accomplishments is long, and it’s easy to see why he’s on the $20. Bill and coin collections are proud to have him.

Why Andrew Jackson is in Bill and Coin Collections

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