Andrew Jackson, his intimate circle of friends, and his tumultuous times are at the heart of this remarkable book about the man who rose from nothing to create the modern presidency. Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, Andrew Jackson was an orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, bending the nation to his will in the cause of democracy. Jackson's election in 1828 ushered in a new and lasting era in which the people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics. Democracy made its stand ...
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Andrew Jackson, his intimate circle of friends, and his tumultuous times are at the heart of this remarkable book about the man who rose from nothing to create the modern presidency. Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, Andrew Jackson was an orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, bending the nation to his will in the cause of democracy. Jackson's election in 1828 ushered in a new and lasting era in which the people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics. Democracy made its stand in the Jackson years, and he gave voice to the hopes and the fears of a restless, changing nation facing challenging times at home and threats abroad. To tell the saga of Jackson's presidency, acclaimed author Jon Meacham goes inside the Jackson White House. Drawing on newly discovered family letters and papers, he details the human drama-the family, the women, and the inner circle of advisers-that shaped Jackson's private world through years of storm and victory. One of our most significant yet dimly recalled presidents, Jackson was a battle-hardened warrior, the founder of the Democratic Party, and the architect of the presidency as we know it. His story is one of violence, sex, courage, and tragedy. With his powerful persona, his evident bravery, and his mystical connection to the people, Jackson moved the White House from the periphery of government to the center of national action, articulating a vision of change that challenged entrenched interests to heed the popular will-or face his formidable wrath. The greatest of the presidents who have followed Jackson in the White House-from Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt to FDR to Truman-have found inspiration in his example, and virtue in his vision. Jackson was the most contradictory of men. The architect of the removal of Indians from their native lands, he was warmly sentimental and risked everything to give more power to ordinary citizens. He was, in short, a lot like his country: alternately kind and vicious, brilliant and blind; and a man who fought a lifelong war to keep the republic safe-no matter what it took. Jon Meacham in American Lion has delivered the definitive human portrait of a pivotal president who forever changed the American presidency-and America itself. From the Hardcover edition.
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All you hear on the news is how bad Andrew Jackson was, when in reality he was a badass! Enjoyable read.
willard o
Apr 9, 2014
REVEALING JACKSON
REVILED BY SOME HISTORIANS, JACKSON IN THE HANDS OF JON MEACHAM BECOMES A MAN OF FIERCE PATRIOTISM, COURAGE ON ONE HAND AND A BULLYING SCOUNDREL ON THE OTHER HAND. ROUGH
HEWN HE SHOULD BE RANKED AS A TOP 10 PRESIDENT.
Gkhan100
May 9, 2010
Book is a disillusion. American Joke !
Bought the book and read it with an open mind. It is disillusion, period.
It is filled with way too much information. I could not help but think that all the information is presented to help mask all of the horrible things this president did, especially to Native Americans.
There are amy other history books, Native American oral traditions (which count as literature today), and manuscripts that shows this political figure as a tyrant who did not care for the sovereignty of Native Americans, one of the 4 core sovereignties in the American Constitution.
Andrew Jackson was a bad decision period, that the American people chose. He was not a lion. He should be called American Joke.
boringlady
May 6, 2010
Boring!
Got this book as we were reading it for my book group. Could not wade through it! Way too much information.
1957
Jul 9, 2009
interesting, but not compelling
Well done and full of info but delves into some details that to me were kind of dull. Mostly enjoyed.
