The Life of Andrew Jackson

In recent years, Andrew Jackson, America's controversial 7th president of the United States, has made his way back into the modern conversation. Last year, there were conversations about taking Jackson's face off the twenty dollar bill after the Broadway play, based on Alexander Hamilton, made it unpopular to remove his visage from the ten dollar bill. This year, the term Jacksonian has been thrown around to describe the policies and character of the current presidential administration. The 45th president himself visited the Hermitage to praise parts of Andrew Jackson's legacy. With the spotlight returning to this controversial character in US history, I decided to read a summary of his life and was not disappointed in this book.The biography starts off describing Andrew Jackson's personality from his childhood to young adulthood, showing him off as having a temper, being a bit mischievous, but also able to control himself and his emotions when necessary. From there, it describes his time serving in the American Revolutionary War, which personally cost him a lot and led him to form some of the positions and hatred that would color his later actions. From there, his early life as a lawyer and soldier in Tennessee follows, along with the strange circumstances of his marriage. His adventures during the War of 1812, which would make him a hero to the American public, are discussed at length as are his exploits in then Spanish Florida. His popularity would throw him into the political arena and the circumstances that made him the seventh president instead of the sixth would lead him on a personal crusade to make sure the public's voice was heard by the leaders in Washington. Details of his time in the White House follow, including all his triumphs, missteps and failings, before ending with his death back at the Hermitage.The author's passion for his subject matter shows, although I was happy to see that it didn't lead to him trying to cover up some of Jackson's darker actions and aspects. It is an enjoyable read on this man's life, with plenty of details and interactions fleshed out. The author does his best to explain Jackson's thinking to the reader and he does a good job of it, allowing the reader to understand Jackson's train of thought while agreeing or disagreeing with it on their own terms. It's a fascinating character study of a flawed, passionate man and the time in which he lived.Whether one admires, despises, or is torn about Jackson is up to the reader. What is undeniable, however, is his impact on the US and its government. Understanding his popularity is key to understanding part of the American story, unsavory bits and all. Personally, I'm very glad that I read this biography as it gave me a better understanding of a man who still has a part in the conversation going on in America today.

This is a gripping, well-written chronological account of Jackson's life from his 1767 birth in South Carolina to his death at the Hermitage in 1845. With a gifted, engaging literary style, Remini paints a series of memorable portraits of all the major scenes in Jackson's life. For instance, the opening pages describing the Battle of New Orleans are filled with more tension and excitement than most fiction!Remini's literary, impressionistic style works most of the time, but for the complex political issues that come up when Jackson is president a bit more analysis would be useful. For instance, Remini describes in detail Jackson's hatred of the Bank of the United States, but never goes into any detailed discussion about whether this hatred was justified or the putative wrong-doings of the Bank. In that sense, the book is incomplete.Some reviewers have worried that Remini overlooks the horrible fate of the Native Americans under Jackson's rule, such as the forced relocation of Native Americans to reservations west of the Mississippi. I must differ with these reviewers. For instance, in summarizing Jackson's treatment of the Native Americans, Remini says:The removal of the American Indians was one of the most significant and tragic acts of the Jackson administration. It was accomplished in total violation not only of American principles of justice and law but of Jackson's own strict code of conduct (this is from p. 219).Finally, to Remini's credit as an editor, the fact that this is a distilled version of his own three-volume work on Jackson never comes through. I would recommend 'The Life of Andrew Jackson' to anyone who wants an introduction to Andrew Jackson's personal and political lives, and doesn't mind missing out on some of finer political complexities of Jackson's time.

Book itself is a great one. Learned so much about Andrew Jackson. Only issue is sometimes feel author fell in love with Andrew Jackson and defending him regardless

A very learned and worthwhile history by an eminent professor of the life of President Andrew Jackson.

Don't get me wrong - this is an excellent detailed academic text. However, that's the catch really; the main reason for Remini to write this book about this man is because he was President. So not surprisingly he spends a vast amount of time dealing blow by blow with every detail of Jacksons presidency. It's so detailed, its almost written 'real-time', more like you are reading it from the newspaper.This is obviously fine if you want that level of detail, dealing with the intricacies of the US political system from that time. But for me, I would have been happy with a little more filtering and also, I would have been very happy if there had been more focus on his life leading up to him becoming presidency (fist fights, gun fights n' all).Overall a fascinating story with definite repercussions through to today, but at parts, a book that cured some sleepless nights!

This is a very readable biography of one of the most important presidents in US history. it provides a compact overview of all aspects of his life and his presidency. It is very sympathetic towards Jackson and leaves you with a very positive impression of Jackson as a man and as a president. What the book does not provide is an analysis of Jackson that evaluates what Jackson did was actually a positive thing for the country and its people. For example, the entire discussion of the fight about the US Bank is sketched as a fight on by Jackson's charisma without any judgement as to whether his destruction of the bank was good or not. Furthermore, almost all footnotes tend to be quotes from Jackson's correspondence which naturally justifies and defends all of Jackson's own actions.This book is nevertheless recommended as an easy introduction to Jackson. It is worth reading today because so many of the things that Jackson did or were involved with still have resonance today

A scholarly study missing no details