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American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House | 
| Author: Jon Meacham
Publisher: Random House
Category: Book
List Price: $30.00
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Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 55
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 512
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.7
ISBN: 1400063256
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.56092
EAN: 9781400063253
ASIN: 1400063256
Publication Date: November 11, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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.
Exclusive Amazon.com Q&A with Jon Meacham and H.W. Brands On the eve of the historic 2008 presidential election, we were fortunate to chat with historians Jon Meacham and H.W. Brands (author of Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt) on the similarities of their presidential subjects and how the legacies of FDR and Jackson continue to shape the political world we see today. Amazon.com: One of Andrew Jackson's childhood friends once remarked that when they wrestled, "I could throw him three times out of four, but he never stayed throwed." How emblematic is this of Jackson's career? Meacham: Utterly emblematic. Jackson was resilient, tough, and wily, rising from nothing to become the dominant political figure of the age. He was crushed by his loss in 1824, when, despite carrying the popular vote, he was defeated in the House of Representatives. But, tellingly, he began his campaign for 1828 almost immediately, on the way home to Tennessee. And he won the next time. Amazon.com: What would Jackson think of Franklin Delano Roosevelt? Meacham: I think they would have gotten along famously. It is difficult to imagine men from more starkly different backgrounds?to take just one example, Jackson lost his mother early, and FDR was long shaped by his mother?but they both viewed the presidency the same way: they both believed they should be in it, wielding power on behalf of the masses against entrenched interests. Amazon.com: How important was Jackson's legacy to FDR's Presidency? Brands: Jackson was FDR’s favorite president, and Jackson’s presidency was the one Roosevelt initially modeled his own after. FDR saw Jackson as the champion of the ordinary people of America; he saw himself the same way. He compared Jackson’s battle with the Bank of the United States to his own battle with entrenched economic interests. And just as Jackson had reveled in the enmity of the rich, so did Roosevelt. Amazon.com: Although both were regarded as champions of the people, their backgrounds were drastically different. FDR hailed from a wealthy and politically-connected family, while Jackson was an orphaned son of immigrants. How did each manage to endear themselves to the voters of their day? Meacham: Jackson was in many ways the first great popular candidate. He had “Hickory Clubs,” and there were torchlit parades and barbecues?lots and lots of barbecues. Jackson helped mastermind the means of campaigning that would become commonplace. He also intuitively understood the power of image, and kept a portrait painter, Ralph Earl, near to hand in the White House. Brands: FDR combined noblesse oblige with felt concern for the plight of the poor. His polio had something to do with this?it introduced him to personal suffering, and it also introduced him, in Georgia, where he went for rehabilitation, to poor farmers unlike any he had spent time with before. He came to know them and to feel the problems they faced. He took people in trouble seriously and communicated that seriousness to them. Continue reading this Q&A
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| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 My Husband was right again! November 11, 2008
Sally Reed (West Texas)
143 out of 160 found this review helpful
I started this book with trepidation as I am not a big nonfiction reader, I love thrillers and mysteries, but my husband said I had to read this new Andrew Jackson book that he had some how wrangled an advance copy. I have to grudgingly admit that he was right, this book was as much a page turner as the recent Patterson. Even more so because this stuff actually happened! Also my enjoyment of the book was probably enhanced given the current political season. One of the things that struck me was how thier are so many who complain today about the rancor in politics, and what happened to bipartisanship? After reading this book I realize political discourse was a lot more wild in the past, much more wild than anything we could imagine today. There was a time when it was not uncommon for two political rivals to settle their differences with a duel.
This is the story of the life and times of the seventh President of the United States, Andrew Jackson. I have to admit I did not know much about the man prior to reading the book, but his life makes for a fascinating read. His life was an adventure full of drama. A real man of the people I found myself identifying with him in spite of his serious faults. This book made me see how his individualist outlook is still with us today and traces back in part to Jackson. Pull a twenty dollar bill out of your pocket and this is the man and his times "American Lion" is about. Hopefully, young people will read this book and get a better idea about the roots of our great country. So I have to give my husband credit for recommending my two favorite reads of 2008 Across the High Lonesomeand "American Lion."
American Biographer: Jon Meacham November 14, 2008
Marian the Librarian (NY, NY)
52 out of 65 found this review helpful
American Lion is a wonderfully crafted biography about an incredibly interesting and oft-overlooked American who helped shaped this country. Meacham evenhandedly discusses the good, the bad, and the really ugly and comes up with a revealing and insightful study of a truly fascinating subject. I highly recommend American Lion and Meacham's other books, American Gospel and Franklin and Winston, for the subject matter and his insightful and exceptional literary style.
Rich, gracefully written biography December 15, 2008
Bookreporter.com (New York, New York)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I've always had something of an affinity for Andrew Jackson. Perhaps it's nothing more than the fact that we share a birthday (March 15th). Or maybe it's because he's generally regarded as one of the progenitors of the modern Democratic Party, of which I've been a member for almost 40 years. But now, after reading Newsweek editor Jon Meacham's rich, gracefully written biography of our seventh president, I've discovered new reasons to admire this colorful and controversial leader for the decisive role he played in shaping the modern presidency in the midst of a turbulent period of American history.
Drawing upon a diverse and impressive array of sources, including letters in private hands for 175 years, Meacham (like Jackson a Tennessean) paints what he describes as "not a history of the Age of Jackson but a portrait of the man and of his complex relationships with the intimate circle that surrounded him as he transformed the presidency." Born in humble circumstances and orphaned by the age of 14, Jackson rose to the pinnacle of power amidst the rude environment of the American frontier. He killed a man in a duel and was a ruthless military leader, whose victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 catapulted him to national prominence. After winning a plurality of the popular vote and then losing the 1824 election to John Quincy Adams in the House of Representatives, Jackson captured a decisive 56 percent majority in 1828.
Two dramatic political battles marked Jackson's presidency: the conflict surrounding the nullification doctrine advanced by the state of South Carolina and its chief advocate John Calhoun (Jackson's first-term Vice President), by which it claimed the right to reject laws passed by Congress, and the fight over the charter renewal of the Second Bank of the United States. Despite his belief in the principle of states' rights and the desirability of a limited federal government, Jackson maintained an unshakeable determination to preserve the unity of the new nation. "Convinced that the Union should stand strong, with the people at its mystical center," writes Meacham, "Jackson did not believe any amount of Southern sophistry --- as he would have seen it --- could destroy America." In the case of the Bank, Jackson saw himself as "the embodiment of the people standing against entrenched interests" and prevailed in his effort to block the renewal of the Bank's charter, enduring withering criticism and the formal censure of the Senate in the process.
Meacham connects Jackson in a straight line to Abraham Lincoln, the next great president after a forgettable string of eight, ranging from mediocre to abysmal (Van Buren to Buchanan). Indeed there's even a link between the two, as Jackson named a 24-year-old Lincoln to the job of postmaster of New Salem, Illinois in 1833. Anyone not intimately familiar with the history of the Jackson era will come away from this account with an appreciation of the fact that had it not been for Jackson's determination to quell the threat of Southern secession there may have been no Union left for Lincoln to preserve a generation later.
While his portrayal of Jackson clearly is sympathetic, Meacham makes no attempt to deify his subject. Jackson was a slave owner, "blinded by the prejudices of his age," and never questioned the morality of that despicable practice. And he had no qualms about supporting the forced relocation of Native American tribes, culminating in the Cherokee "Trail of Tears," in which nearly a quarter of the Cherokee Nation disappeared. These less attractive aspects of Jackson's character are balanced against Meacham's portrait of "Old Hickory" as a tender and attentive family man, dependent on his niece Emily Donelson, who served as White House hostess when Jackson's wife Rachel died shortly after the 1828 election, and her husband Andrew, his political confidante.
"The idea and image of a strong president claiming a mandate from the voters to unite the nation and direct the affairs of the country from the White House took permanent root in the Age of Jackson," Meacham concludes. Reading those words, it's hard not to appreciate their relevance on the eve of a new presidential administration owing its victory, in large measure, to an extraordinary grassroots campaign. Thanks to this wise and nuanced portrait of Andrew Jackson, it's possible to see the historical link between these eras, no matter how improbable the outcome might have appeared to Barack Obama's predecessor of nearly two centuries ago.
--- Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg (mwn52@aol.com)
forceful, sage narrative November 13, 2008
Endicott (heartland, USA)
46 out of 58 found this review helpful
Mr. Meacham succeeds in humanizing a very complicated figure. His narrative not only captures Old Hickory in all of his ambiguous luminosity, it also shows how understanding this President helps us to understand America -- even today. I highly recommend this book -- not only because the author is a masterful storyteller, but because he's a wise one, too, with an eye to America's struggles today and a sense of how history can help us to address them.
Comprehensive, with feeling December 8, 2008
Jon Hunt (Old Greenwich, Ct. USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Andrew Jackson is one of those presidents who stands out in our history but for many people, we're not exactly sure why. Jon Meacham, in his excellent new book "American Lion", tells us why. Not only do we get a clearer picture of the contributions of our seventh president but Meacham goes very much inside Jackson, the man, and it's a fascinating portrait.
Most of us remember Andrew Jackson as a hero of the Battle of New Orleans, at the close of the war of 1812. But Jackson as president really changed the course of the executive. He was the first of what we might call today an "imperial president" (or at least his critics of the day would have called him that...or worse) but Jackson rejected the notion that Congress had the more powerful lock on government. The great issues of the 1820s and 1830s all found their way to Jackson's office. His main idea that "nation first" was everything served him well in his executive battles. Jackson fought for the elimination of the Bank of the United States and slew the mighty dragon running it, Nicholas Biddle. Nullification, a notion that states had the right to ignore federal laws if they saw fit, was championed by South Carolina's John C. Calhoun, at once Jackson's first vice-president and later a senator from that state. Indian removal was paramount in Jackson's mind and while he succeeded to a degree, it wasn't without much bloodshed, leaving a stain on his presidency. But the most fascinating part of the Jackson presidency was the impending strife of secession and the issue of slavery. We tend not to think about those two issues arising until a decade or more after Jackson left the White House, but they were primary concerns a generation before war broke out.
Meacham adds color to the story as he strives to tell of the personality of Andrew Jackson. Stubborn he was, but Jackson had a remarkably warm side as evidenced by the extended family that surrounded him during his eight years in office. An extended family they indeed were, and they were needed, especially after the death of his beloved wife, Rachel, just prior to moving to Washington in 1829. The author spends a good deal of time discussing the Eaton affair, which in large part brought down his cabinet. We learn much more about his close friend and successor, Martin Van Buren and how Jackson maneuvered to get Van Buren the presidency in 1836.
"American Lion" is a valuable addition to Andrew Jackson's legacy. The narrative moves along at a good pace and is well-balanced. I give credit to Jon Meacham for writing this terrific book and I highly recommend it for its comprehensive assessments and colorful content.
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