Andrew jackson in the white house by jon meacham 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. Andrew jackson was an individual who was filled with integrity, grit, determination, and other values that encompass a good leader. The author, jon meacham, has done a superb job of culling through old letters and texts to tell the story using the words of people who lived during that time period. From the new york timesbestselling author of franklin and winston and american gospel comes a new portrait of andrew jackson, the man who shaped the modern presidency. A thoughtprovoking study of andrew jackson chronicles the life and career of a selfmade man who went on to become a military hero and seventh president of the united states, critically analyzing jacksons seminal role during a turbulent era in history, the political crises and personal upheaval that surrounded him, and. For support in this endeavor, melville appeals to the great democratic god. Within their grasp the reader will have the masterful account of perhaps the. Andrew jackson experienced the american war of independence as a brutal civil war. Andrew jackson in the white house is author jon meachams fourth book. Jon meacham a thoughtprovoking study of andrew jackson chronicles the life and career of a selfmade man who went on to become a military hero and seventh. Tina brown jon meachams splendid new book on andrew jackson shrewdly places presidential politics in the context of jacksons family life and vice versa. American lion also portrays jackson as taking a very paternalistic approach to the presidency itself, noting jacksons words that he looked at his citizens with the feelings of a father. 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.
Andrew jackson, the seventh president of the united states, is perhaps more relevant today than most of the other presidents of the early nineteenth century. The definitive biography of a largerthanlife president who defied norms, divided a nation, and changed washington forever 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. 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 its a fascinating portrait. Andrew jackson in the white house is a 2008 biography of andrew jackson, the seventh president of the united states, written by jon. The battle for our better angels, he is a distinguished visiting professor at vanderbilt. 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. Those occasional lapses aside, he provides a surprisingly detailed portrait of a complicated president, especially. This engaging new book about andrew jackson, our first upfromnowhere president, takes its place on a crowded shelf in the library of national. The story of andrew jackson, the seventh president of the united states. Jon meachams splendid new book on andrew jackson shrewdly places presidential politics in the context of jacksons family life and vice versa. Born in humble circumstances and orphaned by the age of 14, jackson rose to the.
Jon meacham a thoughtprovoking study of andrew jackson chronicles the life and career of a selfmade man who went on to become a military hero and seventh president of the united states, critically analyzing. American lion andrew jackson in the white house book. The book recounts the presidential tenure of andrew jackson. In the wake of the contested election of 2000 and amid growing complaints of the dirtiness of politics, we might do well to look back to jacksons dirty and hotly contested race for the.
It won the 2009 pulitzer prize for biography, with the prize jury describing it as an unflinching portrait of a not always admirable democrat but a pivotal president, written with an agile prose that brings the jackson saga to life. In some ways it tries to mimic the traditional biography with a few chapters into his background. Andrew jackson in the white house, franklin and winston, destiny and power. The chosen book about this man is titled american lion. Nov 11, 2008 jon meacham is a pulitzer prizewinning biographer. These blinks describe jackson s rise from poverty to the white house, and how he transformed the presidency from a relatively symbolic position into a powerful vehicle for representing the interests of the people.
Brands is a very good book about one of the great icons of american history. Examining the fiery legacy of andrew jackson in american lion, jon meacham delivers a portrait of the wargrizzled seventh president, a fierce populist who reshaped the executive branch. The book, which was awarded the 2009 pulitzer prize for biography, recounts the. The definitive biography of a largerthanlife president who defie. In the book, meacham argued that because jackson was orphaned, and never had any biological children himself, he spent much of his life forming substitute families that he would protect like a father. American lion is a spellbinding, brilliant and irresistible journey into the heart of andrew jackson and his unforgettable circle of friends and enemies. Andrew jackson in the white house it is the most prescient of literary foreshadowing. John meachhams book american lion covers the years when andrew jackson was the president of the united states. This sort of reminds me of the last book i read on john quincy adams postpresidency. The narrative moves along at a good pace and is wellbalanced. I give credit to jon meacham for writing this terrific book and i highly recommend it for its comprehensive assessments and colorful content. In the wake of the contested election of 2000 and amid growing complaints of the dirtiness of politics, we might do well to look back to jackson s dirty and hotly contested race for the. Andrew jackson in the white house 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.
He challenged at least men to duels during his lifetime, killing one of them, and he attacked his. 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. American lion 2008 tells the story of andrew jackson, americas seventh president. The battle for our better angels, he is a distinguished.
It puts jackson s life in the wider context of the history of the united states and charts the unlikely rise of this most extraordinary character from an orphan without any formal education, to a. Published in 2008, this biography of president jackson was awarded the pulitzer prize in 2009. The american odyssey of george herbert walker bush, and the soul of america. This engaging new book about andrew jackson, our first upfromnowhere president, takes its place on a.
Illtreated by british officers and imprisoned near charleston, jackson was. Andrew jackson in the white house is a 2008 biography of andrew jackson, the seventh president of the united states, written by jon meacham. Jon meacham is the editor of newsweek and author of american lion and the new york times bestsellers franklin and winston. American lion the definitive biography of a largerthanlife president who defied norms, divided a nation, and changed washington forever 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. Jon meachams american lion is an entertaining account of andrew jackson, the seventh president of the united states. Nov 18, 2008 meacham dwells a bit too much on jacksons rather ordinary views on religion, perhaps because his previous book, american gospel 2006, etc. Jon meacham, in his excellent new book american lion, tells us why. American lion is a valuable addition to andrew jacksons legacy. Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, andrew jackson was an orphan who fought his way. Andrew jackson in the white house jon meacham, author. In american lion, his new biography of the seventh president, jon meacham, the editor of newsweek, dutifully wrings his hands at all the right placesat jackson the slaveholder, jackson.
As president, jackson allowed his postmaster general to let southerners seize antislavery publications, in direct violation of the first amendment. American lion book douglas county libraries bibliocommons. Nov 05, 2015 in 2008, author jon meacham appeared at the national constitution center to discuss american lion, his andrew jackson biography that later won a pulitzer prize. The author of the new york times bestsellers thomas jefferson. Sep 26, 2009 jon meacham talked about his book american lion. Jackson s presidency can be illuminated by looking at the early events that. I havent read it, yet, but they say what makes it stand out is it closely follows documentary evidence while being supplemented with interviews of those who knew jackson. Andrew jackson in the white house random house, november 1, 2008. Kennedy was the first irishcatholic president, andrew jackson was the first chief executive with roots in. Meachamdispenses with the usual view of jackson as a tennessee hothead and instead sees a cannily ambitious figure determined to reshape the power of the presidency during his time in. American lion is enormously entertaining, especially in the deft descriptions of jacksons personality and. Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, andrew jackson was an orphan who fought his way to the. Awarded the pulitzer prize for biography in 2009, the book was cited as an unlikely portrait of a not always admirable democrat, but a pivotal president, written with an agile prose that brings the jackson saga to life. The best biographies of andrew jackson my journey through.
Apr 29, 2009 the darker the night the bolder the lion. Its the smallest of quotes on a page which many readers might very well skip, but for the reader about to undertake american lion. Andrew jackson in the white house is a 2008 biography of the seventh president of the united states, andrew jackson, written by jon meacham. A history of racism is woven into the us presidency.
Within their grasp the reader will have the masterful account of perhaps the last president since george washington to not only retool the highest office in his image of the people, but leave a legacy of vastly expanded executive power and governmental access to those it served. In 2008, author jon meacham appeared at the national constitution center to discuss american lion, his andrew jackson biography that later won a pulitzer prize. Meacham has also written about franklin roosevelt and winston churchill, and more recently authored a bestselling biography of thomas jefferson. Andrew jackson in the white house jon meacham, 2008 random house 512 pp. Andrew jackson and the white house, meacham wrote that jackson owned around 150 slaves and freed none of them in his will.
Andrew jackson is one of those presidents who stands out in our history but for many people, were not exactly sure why. 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. Summary of the american lion by andrew jackson 1295. Tina brownjon meachams splendid new book on andrew jackson shrewdly places presidential politics in the context of jacksons family life and vice versa. Andrew jackson was the seventh president of the united states. A thoughtprovoking study of andrew jackson chronicles the life and career of a selfmade man who went on to become a military hero and seventh president of the united states, critically analyzing jacksons seminal role during a turbulent era in history, the political crises and personal upheaval that surrounded him, and his legacy for the modern presidency.
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