Customer Reviews

Andrew Jackson: A Bibliography (Bibliographies of the Presidents of the United States)

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This book, "Andrew Jackson", is a short but highly readable book you need to start knowing the man as well as the president. We find he is the first self made man, that is he was born in poverty. The first "up by his own bootstraps" type whereas the first six presidents were born to the wealthy elite. More importantly he was the first westener, that is, at that time, the first president to represent people living west of the Appalachian Mountains. These, and many other factors, Mr Remini points out impacted on how Jackson's presidency differs from those before him. By streaching & expanding executive power he changed the federal government from a congressional dominated government to a presidential dominated government during his administration. He vetoed more bills than all his predescessors combined. Mr. Remini expands his studies in lengthier books such as "The Course of American Democracy" and "Andrew Jackson & the Bank Wars." But if your serious about studing United States history linger on the Jacksonian era and read this book first

This book is relatively short but, Remini does a great job of capturing the essence of Jackson. He was a figure who changed the course of the presedency, wielding greater executive power than did his predesessors and making participation in national affairs more accessable to the general populous. Andrew Jackson was a mass of contradictions. He was against centralized power in institutions such as the Second Bank of America, yet hed did much to consolidate power into the presidency. He was at times vulgar, engaging in several duels and, as a general. sometimes meting out harsh discipline yet, he had a courtly, dignified demeanor. As a general, Jackson was a brutal Indian fighter and as president, he was not much better. He wanted to resettle Indians on land that would be forever theirs but, he often forced these resettlements abruptly, killing thousands in deadly forced marches. History lovers who want to get a taste for "Jacksonian Democracy" will enjoy this book.

I have read several of this author's works, and have never been disappointed. It is easy to see why he has become an acknowledged expert on the "Age of Jackson." His writing is always very easy to digest, and his insights are illuminating. I highly recommend this book, and the audio version is equally enjoyable.