Bundled Mini-Lesson: Andrew Jackson

There has, perhaps, been no president more polarizing that Andrew Jackson. Ascending to the White House as both a challenge to Eastern interests and a champion of the "common man," Jackson went on to fundamentally change the federal government. Indeed, the push for expanded political rights - Jacksonian democracy - combined with his own forceful personality, is why Jackson is widely-remembered as the nation's first "Imperial President."

This resource includes a biography on Andrew Jackson, focusing on his childhood and law studies, candidacy in the 1824 and 1828 presidential elections, and service as the seventh President of the United States. Special attention is given to Jackson's role in vetoing the charter of the Second Bank of the United States, the Nullification Crisis of 1832, and removal of the Cherokee Indians from their lands in northern Georgia.

The biography includes a series of questions based on the reading.

In using this in my own class room, students are encouraged to:

1. Number the paragraphs

2. Read the biography

3. Highlight answers in the reading

4. Use complete sentences

5. Identify the paragraph where they find the answer

The answer key demonstrates these steps.  Academic and content vocabulary words and definitions are included.

The resource also includes a series of political cartoons: In Memoriam - our civil service as it was, King Andrew I, and The Downfall of Mother Bank. The cartoons focus on Jackson's presidency and perceived abuses of power: the spoils system, vetoing the charter of the Second Bank of the United States, and defying the Supreme Court's decision in Worcester v. Georgia (1832).

The download includes the following for each cartoon:

1. A PowerPoint - complete with discussion notes for each slide - that teachers can use to lead students through the cartoon.

2. An introductory paragraph that describes the circumstances behind each cartoon.

3. A full-size picture of each cartoon, allowing students to label as instructed.

4. A graphic organizer that assists students in identifying different parts of the cartoon, analyzing symbols, and determining the meaning of each cartoon.

5. A series of questions based on each political cartoon.

6. An answer key for each cartoon.

For those seeking distance learning options, both the biography and the political cartoons can easily be converted to digital activities using Google Slides.

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Should you have any questions, please email me at aroundtheworldteacher@gmail.com.