Andrew Jackson Could Not Read or Write as a Child

Andrew Jacksons path to the presidency was anything but privileged. Born to Irish immigrant parents in the Waxhaw region between North and South Carolina, Jackson grew up in poverty. His father died before he was born, and his mother struggled to raise three sons. Jackson received almost no formal schooling and could not read or write as a child. He taught himself as a teenager while serving as a courier during the Revolutionary War. Despite his lack of education, he became a lawyer, general, and eventually president.