14. Andrew Jackson was accused of cannibalism while running for president on 1828
Those who believe that political campaigns of the present day are the most vile and vicious of history would do well to look at some of the campaigns of the past. In 1828, Andrew Jackson was running for President, largely on his heroic reputation as a soldier against the Creek Indians and his victory at New Orleans in 1815. A series of pamphlets known as the Coffin Handbills were produced by his opponents, tarnishing his reputation both as a soldier and as a man. In one he was accused of executing several men under his command, a blatant falsehood as presented. In another he was accused of adultery and bigamy.
In a supplement to the Coffin Handbills, a pamphlet written by Congressman John Taliaferro, a supporter of Jackson’s opponent, incumbent President John Quincy Adams, Jackson was directly accused of sleeping while surrounded by the bodies of the Indians his troops had slain. He was also accused of having some of the bodies butchered by his cooks and served to him for breakfast. There was no truth to the accusations, but they were widely repeated in pro-Adams publications and read in the taverns and inns. They are still sometimes cited as a source of proof that Andrew Jackson was a cannibal, found often within the Cherokee Nation.