CHAPTER 2
Restless

In 1783, Great Britain surrendered. The Americans had won the War of Independence. A treaty was signed in Paris. It was a time of great celebration for the new country—the United States of America.

For Andrew it was not such a happy time. He had gone to live with his uncle Thomas Crawford. The two did not get along. Also, Andrew made trouble for himself. Once, he insulted a friend of his uncle’s. Andrew told the man that he wasn’t brave or strong and was only capable of killing a sheep. The man threatened to whip Andrew.

Andrew Jackson became known for getting into fights. His mother had always said to “avoid quarrels as long as you can.” But Andrew had a hard time controlling his temper. Especially when he felt he was being treated unfairly.

After his grandfather died in Scotland, Andrew came into some money. He had to travel to the city of Charleston, South Carolina, to collect it. Since Andrew was so unhappy living with his uncle, he decided to stay in Charleston, a bustling harbor city.

Andrew’s inheritance was not very large, but it was more than enough to pay for food and lodging. Andrew was determined to take the extra money he had and turn it into a fortune. How was he going to do this? By gambling.

He began playing dice, which was a popular gambling game at the time. He also bet on horses. Unfortunately, Andrew was not very lucky. He soon gambled all of the money away. Even worse, he wound up owing money to many people.

At that time, it was a crime not to pay a debt. Andrew was in danger of going to jail for all of the money he owed. To solve the problem, he decided to make one more bet. This was a very risky move. He bet his only valuable possession, his horse, on a game of dice. This time, luck was on his side. He won! Andrew used the winnings to pay off what he owed.

It seems that the danger of landing in jail changed Andrew. He tried to become more serious and decided to go back to school in Waxhaw. But he found that he didn’t like it any more than he had as a child. So instead of being a student, he decided to become a teacher! People in town found it odd that he thought he could go from one to the other. In any case, Andrew soon discovered that he didn’t like teaching, either. It seemed the classroom was just not the place for him. He was a young man now, but success was still far away.

In 1784, Andrew moved to Salisbury, North Carolina. He was now seventeen years old. Salisbury was a large town for the time. He hoped to find some opportunity there for himself. As it turned out, he did.

Andrew met an important lawyer in the town named Spruce McCay. McCay liked Andrew’s confidence and allowed him to study with him. Andrew worked hard and learned quickly.

However, in his free time, Andrew once again found trouble. He and his friends spent their nights in taverns, playing practical jokes and gambling. Once, at a local bar, the young men threw the tables and chairs into the fireplace. Many years later, a woman from Salisbury heard that Jackson was running for president. She exclaimed, “If Andrew Jackson can be president, anybody can!”