Andrew Jackson was a man of contradictions – a war hero and a populist champion, yet also one of the most controversial figures in American history. His presidency was marked by violence, duels, economic disasters, and outright defiance of the law. To say he had a wild streak would be an understatement.
From threatening to behead his own vice president to getting into over 100 duels, Jackson’s life was filled with moments that would make any modern politician’s career implode. Here are 22 times Andrew Jackson proved he might have been the craziest U.S. president ever.
1. He Survived a Duel Even After Being Shot in the Chest
Andrew Jackson had a deep obsession with dueling, and when Charles Dickinson insulted his wife, Rachel, Jackson demanded satisfaction. Dickinson was one of the best marksmen in the country, so everyone assumed Jackson was as good as dead.
As expected, Dickinson shot first, and his bullet hit Jackson directly in the chest, shattering two ribs and lodging itself dangerously close to his heart. In any normal duel, that would have been the end of it. But Jackson stood his ground, bleeding and barely able to breathe, raised his pistol, and fired back. His shot was fatal, and Dickinson died on the spot.
Jackson refused to have the bullet removed. He carried it in his body for the rest of his life, along with a second bullet from another duel years later. Doctors believed both bullets contributed to his lifelong violent mood swings, as he was likely suffering from lead poisoning.
2. He Fought Over 100 Duels and Survived
Most people would have quit dueling after surviving one near-fatal gunfight, but not Andrew Jackson. He kept going – over 100 times.
Jackson’s volatile temper and thin skin meant he was always willing to fight, especially if someone insulted his wife or his honor. It was almost a hobby for him. Over time, Jackson collected multiple wounds from his duels, including the famous bullet in his chest. Yet he never backed down.
While many of these duels ended with both men walking away, Jackson was responsible for several deaths. His reputation became so fearsome that people stopped accepting his challenges, knowing that if they insulted Jackson, they were risking their lives.
3. He Signed the Indian Removal Act, Leading to the Trail of Tears
Of all his actions, none are as infamous as the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forcibly displaced tens of thousands of Native Americans from their lands.
Jackson had always viewed Native Americans as obstacles to American expansion, and he believed they had no place in the Eastern United States. His solution? Force them to move west to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), no matter the cost.
Despite the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Cherokee (Worcester v. Georgia, 1832), Jackson ignored the decision completely and allowed states to take Native lands anyway. The result was the Trail of Tears, a forced march where over 4,000 Cherokee men, women, and children died due to starvation, exposure, and disease.
To this day, Jackson’s role in the genocide of Native Americans is one of the darkest stains on his presidency.
4. He Shut Down the National Bank and Wrecked the Economy
Jackson hated banks – especially the Second Bank of the United States, which he saw as corrupt and a tool of the elite. So, in true Jackson fashion, he destroyed it completely.
Instead of a regulated national bank, Jackson shifted government funds into smaller “pet banks,” many of which weren’t equipped to handle the money properly. As expected, these banks made reckless loans, inflation skyrocketed, and the economy crashed.
To make things worse, Jackson issued the Specie Circular of 1836, requiring land purchases to be made only in gold and silver. This killed land sales and triggered the Panic of 1837, one of the worst economic crises in American history.
5. He Declared Martial Law in New Orleans—Then Refused to End It
During the War of 1812, Jackson put New Orleans under martial law to defend it from British attack. That made sense at first, but even after the war ended, Jackson refused to lift the restrictions.
The people of New Orleans had no civil rights, courts were shut down, and anyone who criticized Jackson was arrested.
When a Louisiana senator publicly spoke out against him, Jackson had him thrown in jail. A federal judge intervened, ordering the senator’s release—so Jackson jailed the judge, too, and kicked him out of the city.
It took a direct order from Washington to finally convince Jackson to restore civilian government.
6. He Personally Threatened to Behead His Own Vice President
Jackson and his vice president, John C. Calhoun, despised each other.
Their feud reached its peak during the Nullification Crisis, when South Carolina, led by Calhoun, tried to ignore federal laws they didn’t like. Jackson saw this as treason, and his response was brutally simple:
“John Calhoun, if you secede from my nation, I will secede your head from the rest of your body.”
Jackson wasn’t joking – he mobilized the U.S. military and prepared to invade South Carolina if they refused to comply.
7. He Ordered the Military to Invade Florida Without Permission
Before Florida was part of the U.S., it belonged to Spain, and it was home to escaped slaves and Seminole tribes. Southern slaveholders wanted these people captured, but Spain refused.
So Jackson took matters into his own hands and ordered the U.S. Army to invade Florida without authorization. His men burned villages, captured women and children, and executed tribal leaders.
Jackson later wrote to his wife that he was proud that many Seminoles would now “starve and die with disease.”
Spain was furious, but instead of punishing Jackson, the U.S. simply bought Florida from Spain in 1819.
8. He Made Government Jobs a Prize for His Supporters
Jackson pioneered the spoils system – the practice of firing experienced government officials and replacing them with personal supporters.
Within his first year, he removed 10% of all government employees, including 423 postmasters. Many of these workers had served under multiple presidents, but Jackson didn’t care.
Instead, he rewarded his biggest political donors and friends, making corruption a standard part of government hiring for decades.
9. He Put a Bounty on His Own Runaway Slave
Jackson was a major slave owner, and when one of his enslaved men, Gilbert, escaped, Jackson offered a $50 reward for his return.
Even worse, he encouraged brutal punishment, offering an extra $10 per 100 lashes, up to a total of 300 lashes. That meant Gilbert could have been whipped 300 times before being brought back.
Despite witnessing a runaway slave being stabbed to death, Jackson never softened his stance on slavery.
10. His Inauguration Party Turned Into a Full-On Riot
Jackson’s presidency began with chaos. After his inauguration, he invited the public into the White House – a huge mistake.
Thousands of drunk supporters stormed the place, breaking furniture, smashing dishes, and even grinding cheese into the carpets. The crowd became so unruly that Jackson had to escape through a back window.
It was the wildest White House party in history, and it set the tone for his entire presidency.
11. He Nearly Beat an Assassin to Death with His Cane
Jackson survived the first recorded assassination attempt on a U.S. president when a man pointed two pistols at him at point-blank range.
By pure miracle (or bad luck for the assassin), both guns misfired.
Instead of running or calling for help, Jackson charged at the man and started beating him mercilessly with his cane. It took several people to pull Jackson off before he killed the would-be assassin himself.
12. He Completely Ignored the Supreme Court When It Ruled Against Him
Most presidents, when faced with a Supreme Court ruling, accept it as the law of the land. Jackson? Not so much.
In Worcester v. Georgia (1832), the Supreme Court ruled that Georgia had no right to seize Cherokee lands. Chief Justice John Marshall made it clear: the federal government had to respect Native American sovereignty.
Jackson, who had no intention of stopping the land grabs, reportedly responded with one of the most infamous quotes in presidential history:
“John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.”
With Jackson refusing to comply, the state of Georgia ignored the ruling, and Native Americans were forcibly removed anyway.
13. He Was Obsessed with Killing the National Debt—Even If It Meant Ruining the Economy
Jackson hated debt – not just personally, but on a national level. Unlike most presidents, he was determined to pay off every penny of what the U.S. owed.
Through aggressive spending cuts and land sales, Jackson actually achieved something no other president ever has: by 1835, the United States had zero national debt.
But the victory came at a cost. In his attempt to kill debt, he weakened the financial system, which contributed to the economic collapse of 1837. His obsession with financial purity ended up wrecking the economy, sending thousands into poverty and bankruptcy.
14. He Created a Nationwide Postal Censorship Law
Jackson wasn’t just reckless with the economy and the military – he also took aim at free speech.
In the 1830s, abolitionists started sending anti-slavery pamphlets through the mail, hoping to stir opposition in the South. Jackson, a devoted slave owner, saw this as a direct threat.
So, instead of allowing free expression, he pushed through a policy banning “inflammatory” abolitionist materials from the U.S. Postal Service. This meant postmasters could refuse to deliver any literature that criticized slavery, effectively creating a nationwide censorship system.
15. He Made Tennessee’s First Supreme Court a Bar Fight Arena
Before Jackson was president, he served as a judge on Tennessee’s first Supreme Court. But instead of running a calm and orderly courtroom, Jackson turned it into a battleground.
One day, a lawyer mocked Jackson’s ruling. Jackson’s response? He leaped over the bench, grabbed the man by the collar, and started physically beating him in front of the entire court.
For Jackson, brawling wasn’t just a pastime – it was how he settled legal disputes.
16. He Was So Paranoid that He Believed a Conspiracy of Bankers Was Out to Get Him
Jackson’s hatred for the Bank of the United States ran so deep that he convinced himself that its president, Nicholas Biddle, was plotting against him.
As Jackson moved to shut the bank down, he publicly accused Biddle of using secret financial influence to ruin his reputation. While Biddle certainly fought back, Jackson’s paranoia grew to the point where he believed bankers were trying to control the entire country.
Even after he successfully killed the bank, Jackson continued ranting about the “moneyed elite” and believed they were responsible for every political attack against him.
17. He Encouraged His Troops to Burn Entire Villages in the First Seminole War
During his brutal invasion of Florida in 1818, Jackson gave his soldiers free rein to torch Native American villages, destroy food supplies, and kidnap women and children.
The campaign was so vicious that even Congress debated censuring Jackson for excessive brutality. Instead of facing punishment, though, Jackson was rewarded for his aggression, and the U.S. later took Florida from Spain.
18. He Almost Killed a Man in the Streets Over an Insult
One of the wildest street fights in presidential history happened in 1813, when Jackson nearly stabbed a man to death.
The victim? Thomas Hart Benton, who had insulted Jackson over a military dispute. Instead of ignoring the insult, Jackson ambushed Benton and his brother in a hotel lobby, determined to teach them a lesson.
Guns were drawn, shots were fired, and Jackson was nearly killed when Benton’s brother shot him in the arm. But even while bleeding profusely, Jackson kept fighting, pulling out a sword and trying to stab Benton to death before bystanders broke up the fight.
Ironically, Benton later became one of Jackson’s most loyal political allies.
19. He Used Attack Dogs Against Native American Tribes
Jackson didn’t just order forced marches and burn villages – he also used war dogs to terrorize Native Americans.
During the Creek War and Seminole conflicts, Jackson’s troops released trained attack dogs to hunt down fleeing women and children. These dogs were used to track, maul, and kill anyone trying to escape capture.
Even some of Jackson’s own men were horrified by the tactic, but he didn’t care—he believed in total war, no matter the cost.
20. He Was So Angry at His Political Enemies, He Threatened to Hang Them
Jackson was a man who held grudges, and when he felt betrayed, he didn’t just let it go – he wanted his enemies dead.
During the Nullification Crisis, when South Carolina threatened to ignore federal laws, Jackson responded by literally threatening to hang their leaders.
He declared, “If a single drop of blood shall be shed there in opposition to the laws of the United States, I will hang the first man of them I can get my hands on.”
It wasn’t empty talk – Jackson actually assembled troops to march on South Carolina if they didn’t back down.
21. He Took Smuggling Allegations So Seriously, He Executed Two British Nationals Without a Trial
During the First Seminole War, Jackson captured two British traders – Alexander Arbuthnot and Robert Ambrister – who were accused of helping the Seminoles resist U.S. expansion.
Instead of holding a proper trial, Jackson had both men executed on the spot. Even though there wasn’t clear evidence against them, Jackson didn’t care.
His actions nearly caused a war with Britain, but once again, Congress let him off the hook.
An Unpredictable Leader
Andrew Jackson wasn’t just a wild president – he was one of the most aggressive, ruthless, and unpredictable leaders the U.S. has ever had.
Whether he was dueling to the death, ignoring the Supreme Court, threatening his own vice president, or single-handedly wrecking the economy, Jackson did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.
Love him or hate him, one thing is clear: No president has ever been quite as insane as Andrew Jackson.
Mark grew up in the heart of Texas, where tornadoes and extreme weather were a part of life. His early experiences sparked a fascination with emergency preparedness and homesteading. A father of three, Mark is dedicated to teaching families how to be self-sufficient, with a focus on food storage, DIY projects, and energy independence. His writing empowers everyday people to take small steps toward greater self-reliance without feeling overwhelmed.