Name
© 2013 Core Knowledge FoundationUnit 6^13323.4
Andrew Jackson
tired of the war. They called a meeting. Men from both After the Battle of Baltimore, both sides began to get
sides sat down to try to form a meantime, the war went on. peace treaty. But in theOrleans, on the Gulf of Mexico.The British sent troops to attack the city of New
place if you look at the map on the next page. The city You can see why New Orleans is an important
is located at the where the river drains into the Gulf of Mexico. From mouth of the Mississippi River, right
New Orleans you can travel north along the Mississippi River. You can also turn off onto other rivers that feed
into the Mississippi, like the Ohio River. These rivers are like highways that lead right into the middle of North
America.
big port. Lots of ships landed there. Farmers could ship In 1814, New Orleans was already an important,
their goods down the river and sell them in New Orleans. Traders could unload goods in New Orleans and ship
them up the river. New Orleans was an important city, not only for the people who had homes there, but also for
the farmers up the river in places like Ohio and Kentucky.
trade along the Mississippi. Farmers in Ohio and If the British took New Orleans, they could control
Kentucky would be cut off. The Americans could not let this happen. They sent an army to defend the city. The
army was led by a man named Andrew Jackson.
the U.S. Army during the American Revolution. At the Andrew Jackson was from Tennessee. He had joined
time he was just a boy. He was too young to fight. He carried notes from place to place.taken prisoner by the British. It was a difficult time for During the Revolution, Jackson and his brother were
them. They were treated badly. They almost starved to death. Jackson’s brother got sick and died.