When They Were Teenagers

True story. James Monroe was only 18 when he fought for the American Revolution; quitting college to serve at the aid of General Washington who had also left school, at the age of 15, to survey the American landscape.

True story. Andrew Jackson was only 13 when he joined a local revolutionary militia with his brother, Robert, also a teenager. The war had already taken their oldest brother, Hugh, yet another teenager, which prompted their sense of urgency and anger. Robert later died as a POW while Andy bore the scars of the war on his face. Permanently.

True story. Washington, Monroe, and Jackson were all two-term presidents. All were American leaders. And all have been historically lauded. Who knows what might have become of Hugh and Robert.

True story. This is not the American Revolution. But this is still America. And the young will always rise.