The first president with a nickname, "Old Hickory" was born in a log cabin and was an orphan by age 13, but rose to become a major general in the United States Army and the seventh president of the United States. Jackson had strong opinions and equally strong opposition during his eight years as president. He was the first president to open the doors of the White House to blue-collar Americans, and he shook up the glossy world of Washington, DC with his "common man" methods and ideals, but also oversaw one of the most controversial events in American history: the forced removal of Indian tribes, including the Cherokees, from their homes.