In 1829 Andrew Jackson became the seventh president of the United States, the first who did not come from a wealthy, east coast family. Jackson led an adventurous–some would say notorious–life. More than any president before him, he sought to represent the voters–at this time, only white men–and the common people who, in his view, built and sustained the nation. In addition to supporting slavery, Jackson’s policy of forcing American Indians to move West led to disaster, including the death of thousands on the Trail of Tears. President Jackson left a controversial legacy that modern Americans still grapple with.