[58] In practice, slaves were treated as a form of wealth whose productivity needed to be protected.[59] Slaves who disobeyed or ran away could be harshly punished.[60] For example, in an 1804 advertisement to recover a runaway slave, Jackson offered "ten dollars extra, for every hundred lashes any person will give him, to the amount of three hundred".[61] Jackson also participated in the local slave trade.[62] Over time, his accumulation of wealth in both slaves and land placed him among the elite families of Tennessee.[63]

Duel with Dickinson and adventure with Burr
In May 1806, Jackson fought a duel with Charles Dickinson. They had gotten into an argument over a horse race, and Dickinson allegedly uttered a slur against Rachel.[50] During the duel, Dickinson fired first, and the bullet hit Jackson in the chest. The wound was not life-threatening because the bullet had shattered against his breastbone.[64] Jackson returned fire and killed Dickinson. The killing tarnished Jackson's reputation.[65]
Later in the year, Jackson became involved in former vice president Aaron Burr's plan to conquer Spanish Florida and drive the Spanish from Texas. 