In which state was Andrew Jackson born? Controversy continues over whether his birthplace was on the west or east side of a road that once bordered North and South Carolina. Yet it was on the Tennessee frontier where Jackson became a self-made man, working as a lawyer, judge, and planter. During the War of 1812, he became a national military hero after defeating the British at New Orleans.

Jackson struggled to make his plantation a success. He and his wife Rachel lived in log cabins for 15 years before building a brick, two-story Federal home. This was eventually ornamented with a Palladian colonnade and pediment, but the mansion was ravaged by fire in 1834. Jackson 's final renovation featured an imposing Greek façade with flat rooflines and massive two-story columns topped with Corinthian capitals.

When Andrew Jackson retired he was a champion to the millions of "common men" like himself. He had broadened the American public's idea for presidential qualifications, previously limited to wealthier men from the eastern states.