Leadership in Nursing

Leadership in Nursing Definitions, Theories, and Styles of Leadership in Nursing Developing future nurse leaders is one of the greatest challenges faced by the nursing profession (Mahoney, 2001). Powerful leadership skills are needed by all nurses and especially for those providing direct care to those in top management positions. Anyone who is looked to as an authority (including, for instance, a nurse treating a patient) or who is responsible for giving assistance to others is considered a leader (Curtis, DeVries and Sheerin, 2011). A clinical nursing leader is one who is involved in direct patient care and who continuously improves the care that is afforded to such persons by influencing the treatment provision delivered by others (Cook, 2001). Leadership is not merely a series of skills or tasks; rather, it is an attitude that informs behaviour (Cook, 2001). In addition, good leadership can be seen as demonstrating consistently superior performance; further it delivers long term benefits to all those involved, either in the delivery or receipt of care. Leaders are not merely those who control others; they are visionaries who help employees to plan, lead, control, and organise their activities (Jooste, 2004). Leadership has been defined in many ways within existent academic literature. However, several features are common to most definitions of leadership. For example, leadership is a process, involves influence, usually occurs in a group setting, involves the attainment of a goal, and exists at all levels (Faugier and Woolnough, 2002). In addition, there are several recognised leadership styles. For instance, autocratic leaders set an end goal without allowing others to participate in the decision-making process (Curtis, DeVries and Sheering, 2011), whereas bureaucratic leadership occurs in scenarios where a leader rigidly adheres to rules, regulations, and policies. In contrast, participative leaders allow staff to participate in decision-making and actively seek out the participation of stakeholders within the decision. This type of leadership allows team members to feel more committed to the goals they were involved with formulating (Fradd, 2004). Laissez-faire leadership leaves employees to their own devices in meeting goals, and is a highly risky form of leadership as Faugier and Woolnough (2002) further posit. Finally, a more effective form of leadership than those hitherto mentioned, may be situational leadership. This is where the leader switches between the above styles depending upon the situation at hand and upon the competence of the followers (Faugier and Woolnough, 2002). There is a difference between theory and styles of leadership. According to Moiden (2002), theory represents reality, whereas style of leadership refers to the various ways one can implement a theory of leadership the way in which something is said or done. Organisations should, it follows, aim for a leadership style that allows for high levels of work performance, with few disruptions, and that is applicable in a wide variety of situational circumstances, in an efficient manner (Moiden, 2002). Similarly, there is a difference between management and leadership. Managers plan, organise and control, while leaders communicate vision, motivate, inspire and empower in order to create organisational change (Faugier and Woolnough, 2002). Transactional versus transformational leadership Outhwaite (2003) suggests that transactional leadership involves the skills required in the effective day to day running of a team. However, transformational leadership also involves ensuring that an integrated team works together and may also benefit from the inclusion of innovativeness of approach in work (Outhwaite, 2003). For example, a leader can empower team members by allowing individuals to lead certain aspects of a project based on their areas of expertise. This will, in turn, encourage the development of individual leadership skills, which improve both the individuals skills and their future career prospects. In addition, leaders should explore barriers and identify conflicts when they arise, and then work collaboratively with the members of their team to resolve these (Outhwaite, 2003). Furthermore, the leader should remain a part of the team, sharing in the work, thus remaining close to operations and being able to understand the employees perspective, rather than being a leader who is distanced from the actual work of the team for which he or she is responsible (Outhwaite, 2003). Transactional leadership focuses on providing day-to-day care, while transformational leadership is more focused on the processes that motivate followers to perform to their full potential. Thus, the latter works by influencing change and providing a sense of direction (Cook, 2001). The ability of a leader to articulate a shared vision is an important aspect of transformational leadership, as Faugier and Woolnough (2002) observe. In addition, transactional leadership is most concerned with managing predictability and order, while transformational leaders recognise the importance of challenging the status quo in order to enhance positive possibilities within the project that they are delivering as Faugier and Woolnough, (2002) posit. One group of authors that have described the use of transformational leadership by Magnet hospitals are De Geest et al. (2003). In so doing they discuss how the leadership style deployed within the hospitals allows for faith and respect to be instilled, the treatment of employees as individuals, and innovation in problem solving, along with the transmission of values and ethical principles, and the provision of challenging goals while communicating a vision for the future (De Geest et al., 2003). Transformational leadership is, as they further comment, especially well-suited to todays fast-changing health care environment where adaptation is extremely important, especially with regard to changing technologies and the seemingly ever-increasing expectations of patients. In elucidating further, the authors cite a range of findings that this leadership style is positively associated with higher employee satisfaction and better performance. These, in turn, correlate positively with higher patient satisfaction (De Geest et al., 2003). One way to facilitate change using transformational leadership involves the use of action learning (De Geest et al., 2003). In this approach, leaders use directive, supportive, democratic, and enabling methods to implement and sustain change and the effects of such leadership enable better outcomes for both nurses and patients to be realised. Transformational leadership focuses on the interpersonal processes between leaders and followers and is encouraged by empowerment (Hyett, 2003). Empowered nurses are able not only to believe in their own ability but also to create and adapt to change. When using a team approach to leadership, it is important to set boundaries, goals, accountability, and set in motion structural support for team members (Hyett, 2003). Transformational leadership is thus seen as empowering, but the nurse manager must balance the use of power in a democratic fashion to avoid the appearance of their abusing the power that they have been given (Welford, 2002). Finally, as Hyett (2003) also notes, respect and trust of staff by the leader is essential for transformational leadership to work. Clinical or shared governance Clinical governance is a new way of working in which e National Health Service (NHS) organisations are accountable for continuous quality improvement, safeguarding standards of care, and creating an environment in which clinical excellence can flourish (Moiden, 2002). The requirements of several recent UK government policies require that new forms of leadership that better reflect the diversity of the workforce and the community being developed. Since Scott and Caress (2005) noted this, leadership needs have continued to be strengthened and the need to involve all staff in clinical leadership further developed. Shared governance has been, as Hyett (2003) notes, one method by which this goal has been realised. It has proven to be an effective form of leadership because it empowers all staff and makes them part of decision making processes, thereby additionally allowing staff to work together to develop multi-professional care (Rycroft et al., 2004). Such shared governance has resulted in the increased utilisation of a decentralised style of management in which all team members have responsibility and managers are facilitative, rather than using a hierarchical which, as Scott and Caress (2005) maintain, has led to increased morale and job satisfaction, increased motivation and staff contribution, the encouragement of creativity, and an increased sense of worth amongst NHS employees at all levels. Knowledge, attitudes, and skills of an effective nurse leader In addition to the skills hitherto noted in the opening sections of this assignment, nurse leaders should have knowledge of management, communication, and teamwork skills, as well as a solid understanding of health economics, finance, and evidence-based outcomes (Mahoney, 2001). These core skills should ideally be further enhanced by the possession of a range of key personal qualities. Mahoney (2001) asserts that these are desirable in all nurse leaders and include competence, confidence, courage, collaboration, and creativity. Nurse leaders should also be aware of the changing environment in health care best practice and make changes proactively. Leaders who show concern for the needs and objectives of staff members and are cognisant of the conditions affecting the work environment that also encourage productivity, as Moiden, (2003) notes, which is important as it allows a philosophy of productivity to be established. According to Jooste (2004), the three pillars essential to a foundation of strong leadership are authority, power, and influence. It follows, therefore, that to be an effective leader in todays competitive environment, leaders should use influence more, and authority and power, less. It is more important, as Jooste (2004) further notes, to be able to motivate, persuade, appreciate, and negotiate than to merely wield power and, in advancing this line of argument, the author cites three categories of influence for nurse leaders to use in creating a supportive care environment. These include: modelling by example, building caring relationships, and mentoring by instruction (Jooste, 2004). Such skills should also, according to De Geest et al. (2003), be combined with the utilisation of five specific practices that are fundamental to good leadership: g inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, challenging processes, modelling, and encouraging. For example, a leader may challenge others to act by recognising contributions and by fostering collaboration. Such techniques are important because recognising contributions also serves to encourage employees in their work whilst team leadership moves the focus away from the leader towards the team as a whole (Mahoney, 2001). Applications to practice settings Hyett (2003) describes several barriers to health visitors taking on a leadership role and observes that visitors usually work in a self-led environment, which causes problems because there may be no mechanism for self-control or decision-making at the point of service, thus stifling innovation. In addition, if nurses who do try to initiate change are not supported, they lose confidence and assertiveness and may feel disempowered and unable to support one another, which will lead to declining standards of motivation and may negatively impact upon patient care (Fradd, 2004). Management often focuses on the volume of services provided, leading to loss of self-esteem and a rise in dependence; this, as Hyett (2003) recognises, may cause workers to become disruptive, or to leave the organisation, which culminates in organisational upheaval. Further, when staff leave as a result of feeling disempowered, replacements need to be found and trained which involves not only additional recruitment costs but training as new people are introduced into the culture of the organisation. In addition to the comments made by Hyett, focus group data from a study of implementing change in a nursing home suggests that nurses want a leader with drive, enthusiasm, and credibility to lead them and to inspire them, for they do not merely want a leader who has superiority (Rycroft-Malone et al., 2004). Further, focus group members identified the qualities desired in a leader who is attempting to facilitate change. This person should have knowledge of the collaborative project, have status with the team, be able to manage others, take a positive approach to management, and possess good management skills (Rycroft-Malone et al., 2004). Applications to the wider health and social context Nursing leaders function at all levels of nursing from the ward through to top nursing management. Over time, the function of leadership has changed from one of authority and power to one of being powerful without being overpowering (Jooste, 2004). Boundaries between upper, middle, and lower level leaders are becoming increasingly blurred, and responsibilities are becoming less static and more flexible in nature. In other words, there is a trend toward decentralisation of responsibility and authority from upper to lower levels of health care delivery (Jooste, 2004). An ongoing programme of political leadership at the Royal College of Nursing describes a multi-step model for political influence (Large et al., 2005). Some of the steps include: identifying the issue to be changed, turning the issue into a proposal for change, finding and speaking with supporters and stakeholders to develop a collective voice, pinpointing desired policy change outcomes, and constructing effective messages to optimise communication (Large et al., 2005). These can be all be viewed as important for through learning them the nurse leader can adopt to the organisational expectations of the twenty-first century NHS. Education for leadership In order for nursing practice to improve, an investment must be made in educating nurses to be effective leaders (Cook, 2001). Cook contends that leadership should be introduced in initial nursing preparation curricula, and mentoring should be available for aspiring nurse leaders not only during their formal training but throughout their careers (2001). The importance of this enlarged approach can be seen, for example, in the use of evidence-based practice which requires nurses to be able to evaluate evidence and formulate solutions based upon the best available evidence (Cook, 2001). In order for these things to occur, it is important that nurses have educational preparation for leadership during training to prepare them to have a greater understanding and enhanced control of events that may occur during work situations (Moiden, 2002). This can be seen as a step towards the greater professionalisation of the nursing profession a movement that has also increasingly seen nurses gaining formal academic qualifications over the previous ten years. Indeed, such is the embracing of professional accreditation that the NHS has adopted the Leading an Empowered Organisation (LEO) project in order to encourage the use of transformational leadership (Moiden, 2002). By doing so, the NHS hopes to ensure that professionals may empower themselves and others through responsibility, authority, and accountability. The programme also aims to help professionals develop autonomy, take risks, solve problems, and articulate responsibility (Moiden, 2002). Strategies such as the Leading and Empowered Organisation (LEO) programme and the RCN Clinical Leaders Programme are designed to produce future leaders in nursing who are aware of the benefits of transformational leadership (Faugier andWoolnough, 2002). This is therefore not only a programme that is relevant to todays NHS but is also one that is preparing the nursing leaders of tomorrow. Challenges and opportunities to stimulate change The health care environment is constantly changing and producing new challenges that the nurse leader must work within (Jooste, 2004). Leadership involves enabling people to produce extraordinary things whilst simultaneously performing their daily duties and adapting to challenge and change (Jooste, 2004). While management in the past took a direct, hierarchical approach to leadership, the time has come for a better leadership style that includes encouragement, listening, and facilitating (Hyett, 2003). Hyett (2003, p. 231) cites Yoder-Wise (1999) as defining leadership as the ability to create new systems and methods to accomplish a desired vision. Today, the belief is that anyone can be a leader and thus leadership is a learnable set of skills and practices (Hyett, 2003). All nurses must display leadership skills such as adaptability, self-confidence, and judgment in the provision of health care (Hyett, 2003). Indeed, the expectation of both higher professionals and the general public receiving care is that nurses lead care, and that they are able to move seamlessly between roles of leading and following, depending upon the individual scenario faced (Hyett, 2003). Empowering patients to participate in the decision-making process Only when health care services are well-led will they be well-organised in meeting the needs of patients (Fradd, 2004). Nurses have considerable influence on the health care experience enjoyed by individual patients, especially as patient involvement in care is most often nurse-led (Fradd, 2004). Today, patients are more aware of their own health care needs and better informed about treatments and practice; it is also imperative that patients are able to enunciate their own health care needs and contribute to discussions relating to their treatment options. Such enhanced levels of health care communication require nurses to be better equipped with analytical and assertiveness skills, especially if they need to fight the patients corner against the opinion of an individual doctor who may place his own opinions above those of the patient (Outhwaite, 2003). Transformational leadership is ideal for todays nursing practice as it seeks to satisfy needs, and involves both the leader and the follower in meeting needs (Welford, 2002). It is also flexible and this allows the leader to adapt in varied situations. It is logical, therefore, that if the leader accepts that things will change often, followers will enjoy this flexibility. As a result, both nurses and patients benefit because the avoidance of hierarchical structures and the embracing of new ways in which to work help organisations to put resources together to create added value for both employees and consumers (Mahoney, 2001). Into this health care mix, transformational leadership is pivotal, for it allows team nurses to enhance their role as both teachers and advocates (Welford, 2002). References Cook, M. (2001). The renaissance of clinical leadership. International Nursing Review, 48: pp. 38-46. Curtis, E. A., de Vries, J. and Sheerin, F. K. (2011). Developing leadership in nursing: exploring core factors. British Journal of Nursing, 20(5), pp. 306-309. De Geest, S., Claessens, P., Longerich, H. and Schubert, M. (2003). Transformational leadership: Worthwhile the investment! European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 2: pp. 3-5. Faugier, J. and Woolnough, H. (2002). National nursing leadership programme. Mental Health Practice, 6(3): pp. 28-34. Fradd, L. (2004). Political leadership in action. Journal of Nursing Management, 12: pp. 242-245. Hyett, E. (2003). What blocks health visitors from taking on a leadership role? Journal of Nursing Management, 11: pp. 229-233. Jooste, K. (2004). Leadership: A new perspective. Journal of Nursing Management, 12: pp. 217-223. Large, S., Macleod, A., Cunningham, G. and Kitson, A. (2005). A multiple-case study evaluation of the RCN Clinical Leadership Programme in England. London: Royal College of Nursing. Mahoney, J. (2001). Leadership skills for the 21st century. Journal of Nursing Management, 9: pp. 269-271. Moiden, M. (2002). Evolution of leadership in nursing. Nursing Management, 9: pp. 20-25. Moiden, M. (2003). A framework for leadership. Nursing Management, 13: pp. 19-23. Outhwaite, S. (2003). The importance of leadership in the development of an integrated team. Journal of Nursing Management, 11: pp. 371-376. Rycroft-Malone, J., Harvey, G., Seers, K., Kitson, A., MCormack, B, and Titchen, A. (2004). An exploration of the factors that influence the implementation of evidence into practice. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13: pp. 913-924. Scott, L. and Caress, A-L. (2005). Shared governance and shared leadership: Meeting the challenges of implementation. Journal of Nursing Management, 13: pp. 4-12.

Dutch Culture Compared to United Arab Emirates and Colombia Essay

Culture can be defined as the way in which a group of people solve problems and reconcile dilemmas. Culture has a high influence in the process of doing business and managing. The main objective of this essay is exposing the main social differences between our host country, the Netherlands, and the two potential export destinations, the United Arab Emirates and Colombia. The main method used to discoverer the cultural differences is based on Parson’s five relational orientations. In terms of relationships and rules Dutch culture is highly universalistic, this means that the behavior from most Dutch individuals tends to be rule-based. In Dutch society, every person is treated the same; there are no exceptions to the rule. In situations such as asking a special favor from a friend that would violate Dutch legislation, it is likely that the friend will deny the request. The situation is the opposite in both Colombia and the United Arab Emirates, both societies being fairly particularistic. Judgments in these countries tend to focus on the nature of the present circumstances, rather than the general rule. Colombians would not think twice before helping a good friend in the previously mentioned situation, neither would Emiratis. Exporting flowers to a particularistic country would imply careful considerations in terms of negotiating contracts, timing a business trip, and job incentives and rewards. Negotiating contracts in the Netherlands is a common business standard, yet it might be seen as an offensive display of mistrust to your business partners when setting up a venture in the UAE. Particularistic cultures value personal relationships more highly than legal documents, and will commit to all verbal agreements in order to maintain a worthy business partner. In terms of Human Resource Management the Dutch manager in a Particularistic culture will have to understand the importance of relationships and focus on building informal networks to create private understandings. The next highly influential factor that could affect any business relationship between the three countries is the way feelings are demonstrated within society. Colombian culture is particularly affective; they tend to publicly display any emotions that arise at any given moment. The UAE and the Netherlands, while more emotionally neutral than Colombia, are situated in the middle of the rank. It is the norm to see a Colombian worker screaming, enraged after a certain project failed, yet this does not mean that he is more emotionally affected than a Dutchman in his same situation, the Colombian just expresses his anger in a different manner. Another notable difference between affective and neutral cultures is their tone of voice. In Latin cultures, such as Colombia, tone of voice tends to swift from low to high tones, demonstrating emotional attachment behind what is being said. For more neutral cultures, like the UAE, this might seem distractive and exaggerated. Our Dutch manager will most likely have no problems when dealing with Emirati employees; on the other hand he should avoid being emotionally unattached in order to gain the affection of his Colombian co-workers. How people accord status to each member in society is another highly variable factor that should distinguished between the three previously mentioned countries. Every society gives some members a higher status than others; the difference is on which basis do they do so. Achievement-oriented societies focus on the personal accomplishments. Ascriptive societies, conversely, place emphasis and are more influenced by the virtue of a person’s age, class, gender, education and so on. Both Colombia and the UAE are considered to be highly ascriptive societies, the Netherlands lies somewhere in the middle. Members or friends of the governing families in ascriptive countries have quasi supra-legal powers and advantages over the rest of the population. This can have serious effects on the way business is conducted. One example of a situation where the Dutch company could encounter problems is when sending a bright young manager to negotiate with a team of senior Emirati CEOs. While the Dutch manager could be more than capable of managing the situation, the Emirati CEOs would not take him seriously and might even feel insulted. It is therefore recommended that the Dutch company makes sure the negotiation team has an older, formal position-holder to provide a better impression to the Emirati Company. The Human Resource department should also take into account the importance of titles when recruiting employees, as assigning an employee without sufficient titles might cause tension within a work unit. An individualistic society is that in which each individual’s actions are oriented towards the self. On the other end of the spectrum a communitaristic society has common goals and objectives. Dutch society is highly individualistic, Emiratis are somewhere in the middle, and Colombians are highly communitaristic. Colombia’s communitaristic roots lie on both its Catholic beliefs and the influence communism enforced over the country a few decades ago. The implications of setting up a business and employing individuals in a communitaristic society are mostly motivation related. The Dutch manager should assign group-oriented tasks and give credit on a department-based basis, in order to satisfy and motivate Colombian employees. Another factor that should be considered is how responsibility is assimilated in a both societies. Individualistic employees would accept guilt and responsibility in most situations, while communitaristic employees would quickly place blame on his workgroup. When providing negative news managers in Colombia should avoid using â€Å"you† as the object of the sentence, and instead explain the problem indirectly. Finally, the last factor that should be considered when deciding to export abroad is how specific or diffuse a culture is. In specific-oriented cultures each member’s role in society varies according to each particular situation; that is to say, somebody’s manager is only his superior during official corporate situations, in all external situations they are both equal members of society. The Netherlands is ranked as one of the most highly specific cultures in the world, the UAE ranks somewhat below the Netherlands, and Colombia is positioned amongst the most diffuse. It is recommended that managers coming from a specific culture allow private and business issues to interpenetrate. Another issue that should be considered when setting up an HRM strategy in a diffuse culture is the appreciation for ambiguous and vague instructions, which allow for subtle and responsive interpretations through which employees can exercise personal judgment. Due to the cultural similarities between Dutch and Emiratis societies, it would be recommended that the UAE is the chosen country to set up a business venture; however special attention must be given to factors such as the way society accords status, area which the two countries have the greatest differences.

Racial Profiling by Police Essay examples - 1581 Words

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, categories all human beings as free. Article one identify all human beings as born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article two states, Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust,†¦show more content†¦Not only was the limitation to Chinese and Japanese, but to other ethnic groups as well. In the 1800’s many people arrived to a port outside of New York were labeled as undesired citizens. These â€Å"special† in dividuals were examined for any harmful disease and illnesses. If anyone was suspected to have some form of an illness, they were immediately sent back to their original country. Labeling individuals based on their race was not only used to determine who could or couldn’t gain access to the United States but it assisted criminologist to develop an argument used to determine what person may be criminals. Cesare Lombroso along with other theorist throughout the years have made many arguments referring to physical appearance and criminality. Cesare Lombroso believed there was a relationship between crime and race. Similar to Lombroso, many other theories have come about with the connection of race, ethnicity, and crime. Theorist Robert Merton (1938) believed crime is made by a social structure that holds out the same goals to make it to the top. Individuals in society want to reach the goal but getting to the top is not equally distributed which drives individuals to find a way to reaching the goal, whether it be legal or illegally which results in deviant behavior. Merton predicted that the greatest proportionShow MoreRelatedRacial Profiling by Police Essay1259 Words   |  6 Pages    There are many types of racism in America that cause people to make accusations against law enforcement for discrimination. One type of racism is racial profiling. It is a strategy that encourages police officers to stop and question minorities only because of their race. It takes place in a variety of routine police encounters. Unmotivated searches occur everyday among the minority groups. Could you imagine waking up and being scared to walk outside your house because of the color ofRead More Racial Profiling by Police Essay1502 Words   |  7 Pagesof our lives, including media, culture, and even the legal system. 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Biography of Andrew Jackson, 7th U.S. President

Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767–June 8, 1845 and known as Old Hickory), was the son of Irish immigrants and a soldier, a lawyer, and a legislator who became the seventh president of the United States. Known as the first citizen-president, Jackson was the first non-elite man to hold the office. Fast Facts: Andrew Jackson Known For: 7th U.S. President (1829–1837)Born: March 15, 1767 near Twelve Mile Creek on the border between North and South CarolinaParents: Irish immigrants Andrew Jackson and his wife Elizabeth Hutchinson  Died: June 8, 1845 in The Hermitage, Nashville, TennesseeSpouse: Rachel DonelsonAdopted Children: Andrew Jackson, Jr., Lyncoya, and Andrew Jackson Hutchings Early Life Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, in the Waxhaw community on Twelve Mile Creek on the border of North and South Carolina. He was the third child, and the first one born in the Americas, of his Irish immigrant parents, linen weavers Andrew and Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson. His father died unexpectedly before he was born—some stories say he was crushed by a falling tree—and his mother raised he and his two brothers by herself. The Waxhaw community was made up of Scots-Irish settlers and five of Elizabeths married sisters lived nearby, so Elizabeth and her sons moved in with her sister Janes husband James Crawford, and she helped raise Janes eight children. All three of the Jackson boys took part in the American Revolution. Andrews older brother Hugh died of exposure after the Battle of Stono Ferry in 1779. Robert and Andrew witnessed the Battle of Hanging Rock and were captured by the British, catching smallpox while in Camden jail. Learning of their capture, Elizabeth made the trip to Camden and arranged for their release in exchange for some captured British soldiers. Robert died and while Andrew laid in a delirium, Elizabeth went to visit quarantined Waxhaw community members on board a ship in Charleston harbor. She contracted cholera and died. Andrew returned to Waxhaw but no longer got along with his relatives. He was a bit wild, burned through an inheritance, and then left Waxhaw for Salisbury, North Carolina in 1784. There, he studied law with other attorneys and qualified for the bar in 1787. He was appointed public prosecutor in middle Tennessee in 1788, and on the way there, fought his first duel and bought his first slave, a woman not much older than himself. Marriage and Family Jackson became a leading citizen in Nashville and married Rachel Donelson in 1791, who had previously been married. In 1793, the couple learned that her divorce was not yet final, so they repeated their vows again. The charge of bigamy would come to haunt them while Jackson was campaigning for president, and he blamed his opponents for causing the stress leading to her death in 1828. Together the Jacksons had no children, but they adopted three: Andrew Jackson Jr. (the son of Rachels brother Severn Donelson), Lyncoya (1811–1828), a Creek Indian orphan adopted by Jackson after the Battle of Tallushatchee, and Andrew Jackson Hutchings (1812–1841), the grandson of Rachels sister. The couple also took guardianship of several other related and unrelated children, some of whom only lived with them a short while. Legal and Military Career Andrew Jackson was a lawyer in North Carolina and then Tennessee. In 1796, he served at the convention that created the Tennessee Constitution. He was elected in 1796 as Tennessees first U.S. representative and then as a U.S. senator in 1797, from which he resigned after eight months. From 1798–1804, he was a justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court. During his period as a justice, he managed his credit, bought slaves and a new parcel of land, and built The Hermitage, where he would live for most of his life. During the War of 1812, Jackson served as the major general of the Tennessee Volunteers. He led his troops to victory in March 1814 against the Creek Indians at Horseshoe Bend. In May 1814 he was made major general of the Army, and on January 8, 1815, he defeated the British in New Orleans for which he was lauded as a war hero. Jackson also served in the 1st Seminole War (1817–1819), during which he overthrew the Spanish governor in Florida. After serving in the military and being the military governor of Florida in 1821, Jackson served in the Senate again from 1823–1825. Running for President In 1824, Jackson ran for president against John Quincy Adams. He won the popular vote but the lack of an electoral majority resulted in the election for Adams being decided in the House. The choice of Adams was popularly known as the corrupt bargain, an undercover deal giving the office to Adams in exchange for Henry Clay becoming secretary of state. The backlash from this election split the Democratic-Republican Party in two. The new Democratic party renominated Jackson to run for president in 1825, three years before the next election, with John C. Calhoun as his running mate. Jackson and Calhoun ran against incumbent John Quincy Adams of the new National Republican Party, a campaign that was less about issues and more about the candidates themselves: the election was characterized as the triumph of the common man over the elites. Jackson became the seventh U.S. president with 54 percent of the popular vote and 178 out of 261 electoral votes. The 1832 presidential election was the first to use National Party Conventions. Jackson ran again as the incumbent with Martin Van Buren as his running mate. His opponent was Henry Clay, whose ticket included vice presidential nominee John Sergeant. The main campaign issue was the Bank of the United States, Jacksons use of the spoils system, and his use of the veto. Jackson was called King Andrew I by his opposition, but he still won 55 percent of the popular vote and 219 out of 286 electoral votes. Events and Accomplishments Jackson was an active executive who vetoed more bills than all previous presidents. He believed in rewarding loyalty and appealing to the masses. He relied on an informal group of advisors called the Kitchen Cabinet to set policy instead of his real cabinet. During Jacksons presidency, sectional issues began to arise. Many southern states, upset over tariffs, wished to preserve states rights to overrule the federal government and when Jackson signed a moderate tariff in 1932, South Carolina felt it had the right through nullification (the belief that a state could rule something unconstitutional) to ignore it. Jackson stood strong against South Carolina, ready to use the military if necessary to enforce the tariff. In 1833, a compromise tariff was enacted that helped mollify the sectional differences for a time. In 1832, Jackson vetoed the Second Bank of the United States charter. He believed the government could not constitutionally create such a bank and that it favored the wealthy over the common people. This action led to federal money being put into state banks, which then loaned it out freely, leading to inflation. Jackson stopped the easy credit by requiring all land purchases to be made in gold or silver—a decision that would have consequences in 1837. Jackson supported Georgias expulsion of the Indians from their land to reservations in the west. He used the Indian Removal Act of 1830 to force them to move, even discounting the Supreme Court ruling in Worcester v. Georgia (1832) that said they could not be forced to move. From 1838–1839, troops led over 15,000 Cherokees from Georgia in a devastating march called the Trail of Tears. Jackson survived an assassination attempt in 1835 when the two derringers pointed at him didnt fire. The gunman, Richard Lawrence, was found not guilty of the attempt by reason of insanity. Death and Legacy Andrew Jackson returned to his home, the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tennessee. He stayed active politically until his death there on June 8, 1845. Andrew Jackson is considered by some as one of the United States greatest presidents. He was the first citizen-president representing the common man who believed strongly in preserving the union and in keeping too much power out of the hands of the wealthy. He was also the first president to truly embrace the powers of the presidency. Sources Cheathem, Mark. Andrew Jackson, Southerner. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press (2013).Remini, Robert V. Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Empire, 1767–1821. New York: Harper Row (1979).Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Freedom, 1822–1832. New York: Harper Row (1981).Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Democracy, 1833–1845. New York: Harper Row (1984).Wilentz, Sean. Andrew Jackson: The Seventh President, 1829–1837. New York: Henry Holt (2005).