Customer Reviews

Biography - Andrew Jackson [VHS]

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As a teacher of 10th grade U.S. History, it's nice to be able to incorporate a good video into the course. Unfortunately, there are few videos that cover this time period that are of classroom length, yet are also interesting and informative. This is one of the better Biography videos about a president because it accomplishes these things. It deals swiftly, yet efficiently with Jackson's colorful background, his frustrating loss to Quincy Adams in 1824, the Peggy Eaton Affair, and the main issues of his presidency--The Nullification Crisis, The National Bank, and his Indian Removal policy. There are even a few interesting personal stories thrown in that explain his contempt of the British, and one about an assassination attempt that many history books don't even mention. All this is accomplished in 45 minutes.

This is an excellent video biography of one of America's most important and truly fascinating Presidents. There is so much to tell about this man, and this video manages to tell a lot of it very well. It is especially good at describing the very real changes Jackson invoked in the country and its people. Rich he may have been, but he Jackson truly did represent the common people. He was a man of great passion, ruthless determination, and personal heroism who lived one of the largest lives this nation has ever seen.

The video begins, appropriately enough, at the Battle of New Orleans, for this is where Jackson, dubbed "Old Hickory" by his soldiers, emerged as a national hero. It is often forgotten just how momentous a victory he won here; the battle took place two weeks after the war officially ended, but the Battle of New Orleans was of extreme importance. The War of 1812 had seen a series of embarrassing defeats, and then Andrew Jackson led a motley crew of 3500 Americans against 5000 of Britain's finest; two hours later, some 2000 redcoats lay dead, while the Americans nursed only 13 dead and 39 wounded. For the first time since the republic was formed, American forces had soundly defeated the forces of a European power.

After reviewing some of the details of Jackson's childhood, the video then describes the way he tore through Salisbury, North Carolina before moving to Tennessee and continuing his exploits - Jackson's series of duels are legendary. Of course, a lot of focus is given to Jackson's wife Rachel; at the time of their marriage, Rachel was not legally divorced from her first husband. The ridicule and gossip about the woman he loved would haunt Jackson for the rest of his life. Then Jackson's Indian campaigns are covered before we arrive at the controversial election of 1828. Jackson emerged from the count with the most votes, but Henry Clay brokered a shady backroom deal that put himself in the seat of Secretary of State and made John Quincy Adams the President.

The 1828 election was about as dirty as they come, as Jackson's opponents attacked him every which way but Sunday. They really dragged Rachel through the mud, but Jackson was still the man of the people and won the election handily. Rachel, however, would collapse and die before Jackson even left for Washington. The inconsolable Jackson went on to redefine the Presidency, infuriating his enemies while enjoying the support of the public. Among other things, he stared down his Vice President, John C. Calhoun, over the nullification crisis and stomped his foot on the Bank of the United States until it was dead, dead, dead. He returned home with ninety dollars and had to borrow from friends in order to survive his final years at the Hermitage.

Jackson's story is an extraordinary one; he was, after all, the first commoner to inhabit the White House, he helped open up the western frontier for American expansion, and he transformed the Presidency into an office truly representative of the people. In my opinion, this is one of the best productions in the A&E Biography series.