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American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

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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.

As he says, Meacham has "attempted to paint a biographical portrait of Jackson and of many... who lived and worked with him in his tumultuous years in power." The book concentrates almost entirely on the presidential years, with only enough on Jackson's earlier career to give the reader some idea of the man's personality, of how he rose to prominence and of his political views. Meacham provides an equally short coda on Jackson's post-presidential years until his death (1845). The book is not a "life and times" but is centered on Jackson's experiences in his political battles. The politics are Meacham's chief concern because he believes that Jackson's presidency transformed American political culture.

Jackson was the first president who was not from the pre-Revolutionary elite and was the first to be voted into office by a newly expanded electorate. Meacham views Jackson as the first to see the president as representing the entirety of the people and as the equal of Congress, entitled to shape policy and legislation without the traditional deference to Congressional views. Jackson thought that the people shared his beliefs and that he was fighting for their interests in everything he did. This vision sustained Jackson as he relentlessly expanded the powers of the president. Meacham believes that Jackson was a master politician who happily allowed opponents to think that he was entirely a creature of emotion and passion while coolly outmaneuvering them politically.

Meacham's approach has three main features: First, it is chronological, seldom deviating from a straight drive down the time line of the two administrations; Second, Meacham tells the story mainly through the principal political battles of Jackson's administrations (the major exception to this is Meacham's close look at Jackson's domestic life, but even this was affected by politics, particularly the Eaton affair) and Third, the book is a narrative throughout, not without editorial comments but with little in-depth analysis.

The counterpoint to the focus on political wars is provided, as Meacham states, by "previously unavailable documents, chiefly letters of Jackson's intimate circle that have largely been in private hands for the past 175 years...." These provide many vignettes regarding the prominent figures of the time (especially Jackson, of course) as well as glimpses of Jackson's private life among kin and friends. These allow the reader an unusually intimate share in the lives of many of the chief figures in the book and are Meacham's chief claim to an original contribution to Jackson studies.

I wanted to like this book but found it disappointing overall. The chronological approach does give the reader a sort of virtual experience of the need to address utterly different political problems at the same time; but it causes the narrative approach to be disjointed with one "story line" being interrupted by another after only a few paragraphs or pages with the usurping story itself being displaced in its turn soon after. Continuity and coherence become problematic, especially since the book is intended for general readers many of whom may know little or nothing about Jackson.

The relative lack of analysis was also a disappointment. While many issues of the Jackson presidency have been thoroughly analyzed by other historians (especially academic historians), readers would have profited from Meacham's personal political acumen in discussing the significance of Jackson's triumphs and defeats in changing American politics. His discussion of how Jackson's use of the veto, unprecedented in American history and instrumental in the expansion of presidential power, was very insightful and illuminated an unfamiliar area for me. It's beautiful work because it shows how an obscure and technical "procedural" issue can have major long-term implications. It also allows any thoughtful reader, even one who is a novice in the subject, to perceive how Jackson's innovation shifted the balance between president and Congress forever and eventually became the major element of presidential power that it is today. I wish Meacham had done more of this. While the "previously unavailable documents" provide valuable information about Jackson's private life and views, it does not make up for useful political analysis and insights.

I also think that Meacham's handling of Jackson's record on slavery and on the mistreatment of Native Americans does his readers a disservice. On slavery Jackson evidenced no awareness whatever of the ultimate injustice of slavery and particularly of racially based slavery. We can all agree today that slavery is unjust and racially based slavery even more so; but most in Jackson's day did not share this view. Slavery had been abolished in Britain only in 1833, when Jackson was already in his second administration; and the infant abolition movement in the US had almost no adherents in Jackson's time and for years afterward. The complete assumption of inherent white superiority was, of course, widely accepted in society until quite recently and is still held by a few. While Jackson would have been a morally superior person had he possessed a better appreciation of the injustice of slavery, he also would have been amazingly ahead of his time. To criticize him for this failing may be accurate but it is also ahistorical.

The same analysis applies in part to Jackson's treatment of Native Americans. While most white Americans favored pushing Native Americans aside whenever they were inconvenient to whites, Jackson's contempt for Native Americans seems to have been more extreme than usual. His treatment of them was certainly without moral or legal foundation and was unnecessarily cruel. For these latter failings Jackson can be justifiably and severely censured, but not for more.

Overall the book is a good general introduction to Jackson's life and the significance of his presidency, but it has major drawbacks.

As I write this review, I can peer over to the two shelves of books that I have just on one president alone; that being Abraham Lincoln. With the 200th anniversary of his birthday coming up next year, so many books have been focused on him, his legacy, his marriage, and even his time as president-elect. So it was with great surprise that I found this biography of Andrew Jackson. And it was an even greater surprise that I found it enchanting.

Jon Meacham's Andrew Jackson is rough, brilliant, difficult, and all together human. Meacham's writing attempts to avoid deifying the man, but tries to give insightful glimpses into his character and presidency. Sometimes biographies like this get bogged down in too many details and the minute factoids that only the most ardent fans find remotely interesting. Meacham paints a bigger portrait than that. By focusing mainly on Jackson's time in the presidency, it frees him up for a more specific yet more encompassing vision of Jackson.

I admit that my basic content knowledge of Jackson is sorely lacking (well, compare to Lincoln, that is) but after reading Meacham's page-turner of a book, I must admit my appetite has been whetted by yet another interesting character in our history. I can see this making a great Christmas gift for the history buff or biography lover in your life!

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)

Despite Goodwin's assertion that Meacham is a "master storyteller", he is anything but - at best, he is an editor - and not a very discriminating one at that. First, the prospective reader should note the book's sub-title is "Andrew Jackson in the White House" so as to be prepared for a book that focuses on the eight years of the Jackson presidency and does not cover Jackson' experiences from orphan to President. But more distressing is that this book is written much like the college term paper that contains nine pages of quotes from diverse (and often tangential) sources and one page of original thought. Except, the book slogs along for what seems to be an interminable period with quote after quote after quote from various correspondence or speeches which the author then makes a half hearted attempt to tie together in some sort of coherent narrative (to wit, the book contains 77 pages of footnotes - I'm sure this kept the editorial assistants busy for months - too bad Meacham didn't do something more productive with their research). I read it to the end only because I had visited the Hermitage last year and was interested to learn more about its occupant, but I was relieved to finally finish the book. Meacham should stick to his day job as editor of Newsweek (which I don't read) and leave the American history to the likes of David McCullough, Bruce Catton and Stephen Ambrose.

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.

I always wondered why Jackson is on the $20 bill. I knew through history classes that he was a very powerful and prominent president. But this biography really helps explain why so many people recognize his presidency as one of the best. Of course, it was not perfect and this biography helps explain the complexities and idiosyncrasies of the man, his contemporaries, and his times. In fact, some if not most, biographers idolize their subjects and do not give you the entire, realistic picture of the person. Jon Meacham has taken a very objective view of his subject and provided a realistic and comprehensive portrait of a man that most assuredly changed the presidency and his times. The author's prose is readable and dramatic, of course, "Old Hickory" provided the dramatic tension himself.

This biography is very enlightening and really helps shed light on our still evolving political process. You will not learn to love this man after reading this work; but you may learn to respect how many of his policies helped save the union and shape how our political process evolves and works. Highly recommended!

Jon Meacham may be superb in his editorial duties at Newsweek, but he fails on almost every account as biographer of Andrew Jackson. First, let me say that I am a fan of Doris Kearns Goodwin, Robert Remini and Robert Caro. These historian-biographers do their homework with every book. Jon Meacham relied on new papers concerning the personal side of Jackson with much material that is old and recycled.

Meacham does a decent job with the Margaret Eaton affair, relaying its importance to Washington politics during Jackson's first term and the repercussions in the proceeding decades. On Jackson's boyhood, military career, early political life and even the presidential elections between 1824 and 1836, he gives the most haphazard treatment I have yet found on the era.

Part of the problem is the author's cumbersome prose, it may be grammatically correct, but it makes for an awfully dull read. There is none of the precision of Robert Caro, the poetic lyricism of Schlesinger, or consistency of Kearns Goodwin. I would not recommend American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House even to a high school student seeking a breezy portrait of the seventh president. There have been far better before, and there will be stronger efforts to follow.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I looked forward to the release of this book with great anticipation and began reading it as soon as I received my copy. This book gives great detail about Jackson's ancestry and early life of hardship; including the loss of everyone close to him. Meacham does a wonderful job telling the story of how Jackson improved himself by studying law, his rough journey west to Tennessee, his difficulties of life on the frontier in the late 18th and early 19th century, his military career, and of course his presidency, which was pivotal in American history and helped define a new age of American politics. The section on Jackson's post-Presidential years seemed to be glossed over a bit, probably for the purpose of keeping the book under 600 pages, but nonetheless was very good.

For a book of philosophy I would highly recommend Understanding: Train of Thought.

I have read and enjoyed several great Early American biographies over the last several years. I requested this book for Christmas and have been very disappointed. The author focuses more on rumors and emotions than facts and historical contributions. To be honest, I haven't been able to finish it yet. I'm trudging ahead because I understand the significance of the subject matter. Yet, I pick it up with hesitation.

Hopefully, I will find another biography of Jackson that will inspire me with his greatness and warn me of his weaknesses, while educating me about the times he lived in.

That is what I expect of great biographies that are worthy of my scarce time.