- ISBN13: 9781400063253.
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Andrew Jackson, his 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 democracy. Jackson’s election
in 1828 ushered in a new and lasting era in which the people, not
distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics.
Democracy made its stand in the Jackson years, and he gave voice
to the hopes and the fears of a restless, changing nation facing
challenging times at home and threats abroad. To tell the saga of
Jackson’s presidency, accled author Jon Meacham goes inside
the Jackson White House. Drawing on newly discovered family
letters and papers, he details the human drama–the family, the
women, and the inner circle of advisers–that shaped Jackson’s
private world through years of storm and victory.
One of our most significant yet dimly recalled presidents,
Jackson was a battle-hardened warrior, the founder of the
Democratic Party, and the architect of the presidency as we know
it. His story is one of violence, sex, courage, and tragedy. With
his powerful persona, his evident bravery, and his mystical
connection to the people, Jackson moved the White House from the
periphery of government to the center of national action,
articulating a vision of change that challenged entrenched
interests to heed the popular will–or face his formidable wrath.
The greatest of the presidents who have followed Jackson in the
White House–from Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt to FDR to
Truman–have found inspiration in his example, and virtue in his
vision.
Jackson was the most contradictory of men. The architect of the
removal of Indians from their native lands, he was warmly
sentimental and risked everything to give more power to ordinary
citizens. He was, in short, a lot like his country: alternately
kind and vicious, brilliant and blind; and a man who fought a
lifelong war to keep the republic safe–no matter what it took.
Jon Meacham in American Lion has delivered the definitive human
portrait of a pivotal president who forever changed the American
presidency–and America itself.
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Exclusive Amazon.com Q&A with Jon Meacham and H.W. Brands
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On the eve of the historic 2008 presidential election, we were
fortunate to chat with historians Jon Meacham and H.W. Brands
(author of Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical
Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt) on the similarities of
their presidential subjects and how the legacies of FDR and
Jackson continue to shape the political world we see today.
Amazon.com: One of Andrew Jackson's childhood friends once
remarked that when they wrestled, "I could throw him three times
out of four, but he never stayed throwed." How emblematic is
this of Jackson's career?
Meacham: Utterly emblematic. Jackson was resilient, tough, and
wily, rising from nothing to become the dominant political figure
of the age. He was crushed by his loss in 1824, when, despite
carrying the popular vote, he was defeated in the House of
Representatives. But, tellingly, he began his campaign for 1828
almost immediately, on the way home to Tennessee. And he won the
next time.
Amazon.com: What would Jackson think of Franklin Delano
Roosevelt?
Meacham: I think they would have gotten along famously. It is
difficult to imagine men from more starkly different
backgrounds—to take just one example, Jackson lost his mother
early, and FDR was long shaped by his mother—but they both viewed
the presidency the same way: they both believed they should be in
it, wielding power on behalf of the masses against entrenched
interests.
Amazon.com: How important was Jackson's legacy to FDR's
Presidency?
Brands: Jackson was FDR’s favorite president, and Jackson’s
presidency was the one Roosevelt initially modeled his own after.
FDR saw Jackson as the champion of the ordinary people of
America; he saw himself the same way. He compared Jackson’s
battle with the Bank of the United States to his own battle with
entrenched economic interests. And just as Jackson had reveled in
the enmity of the rich, so did Roosevelt.
Amazon.com: Although both were regarded as champions of the
people, their backgrounds were drastically different. FDR hailed
from a wealthy and politically-connected family, while Jackson
was an orphaned son of immigrants. How did each manage to endear
themselves to the voters of their day?
Meacham: Jackson was in many ways the first great popular
candidate. He had “Hickory Clubs,” and there were torchlit
parades and barbecues—lots and lots of barbecues. Jackson helped
mastermind the means of campaigning that would become
commonplace. He also intuitively understood the power of image,
and kept a portrait painter, Ralph Earl, near to hand in the
White House.
Brands: FDR combined noblesse oblige with felt concern for the
plight of the poor. His polio had something to do with this—it
introduced him to personal suffering, and it also introduced him,
in Georgia, where he went for rehabilitation, to poor farmers
unlike any he had spent time with before. He came to know them
and to feel the problems they faced. He took people in trouble
seriously and communicated that seriousness to them.
Continue reading this Q&A