The Life of Andrew Jackson

by Robert V. Remini

The classic one-volume biography of Andrew Jackson

Robert V. Remini's prizewinning, three-volume biography, The Life of Andrew Jackson, won the National Book Award upon its completion in 1984. Now, Remini captures the essence of the life and career of the seventh president of the United States in the meticulously crafted single-volume abridgement.

Genres: History, Biography, Presidents, Nonfiction, American History, Us Presidents, Politics

448 pages, Paperback

First published August 24, 1988

Reviews

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Andrew Jackson or hate him, and there's good reason for doing both, one thing you can never do is yawn at him.

The important thing about history is to realize that nothing new is happening. Andrew Jackson could give Donald Trump a run for his money as far as colorful personalities go.

Raised from humble beginnings, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, Jackson brought himself up by his own boot straps and worked his way into politics.

He fought in the 1812 War and lead his troops into New Orleans where they defeated the British, thus securing his reputation as a formidable military leader.

Later he became president and an ardent federalist. He destroyed the National Bank because he believed that private business exploited the under-privileged while promoting elitism. Jackson believed that only a large government represented everyone's interests and had fail-safe locks in the structure to keep corruption and self-interested individuals out. A rather naive assumption on his part, but to his dying day he fought those like Henry Clay and Daniel Webster who believed in limited government.

It is easy to see the origins of the Democratic platforms. In fact, the Democratic party was developed under Jackson. They use the same rhetoric about being for the common man as they do today. How much of that is believable depends on each person.

The book did help develop an understanding to the Trail of Tears which is a sad mark in our nation's history. It was also more complicated than I realize. Americans kept moving westward and the Indians retaliated by butchering people in newly erected towns. Who was right and who was wrong is an academic point today. Our energies now would be better spent in trying to solve the poverty and drug and alcohol abuse common on Native Reservations rather than pointing fingers at people long dead or their descendants who had nothing to do with it.

Prone to duels of honor and defending the "Sacred name" of his wife. Politics in the Jacksonian era could just as ugly as today. Smears of sex scandals, corrupt dealings and lies to defame each other's character was just as prevalent then as today.

I highly recommend this book as it will increase your appreciation of today's political landscape from reading our past's.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2013/...

“The Life of Andrew Jackson” by Robert Remini is the single-volume abridgment of the author’s classic three-volume series on Andrew Jackson which was published between 1977 and 1984. Although he confessed to finding the distillation process “traumatic and agonizing,” Remini’s abbreviated biography successfully crystallizes (in just one-fourth the space) the essence of his longer series and saves the reader nearly one-thousand pages in the process.

Remini was a historian and professor at the University of Illinois and was known as an exhaustive biographer of Andrew Jackson. During his forty-year literary career he authored dozens of books, among them biographies of Jackson, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and Martin Van Buren. He was named historian of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005 and later authored a narrative history of that legislative body. Remini died earlier this year at the age of 91.

Although he claimed difficulty in synthesizing the three-volume series, readers of this single-volume biography who have previously read Remini’s series on Jackson will recognize most, if not all, of the narrative. I assume, therefore, that the difficulty Remini encountered was not in shortening and re-writing the more extensive text, but was more a matter of choosing which three-of-every-four sentences to strike, and which one to keep. On that basis this biography is an extremely stylistically familiar synopsis of the excellent and much longer series.

Also faithfully preserved in this one-volume biography is the author’s unapologetic admiration for Jackson as a political leader, national symbol, and unrelenting force behind a new era of popular democracy. But also retained is Remini’s criticism of Jackson for his most acute flaws and failures – including his treatment of the Indians, his indifference to the plight of slaves and his often abysmal appointments of officeholders. However, readers who found Remini too lax in scolding Jackson’s foibles and deficiencies in his multi-volume series will be similarly vexed by this biography.

Irrespective of one’s view of Remini’s sympathy for Jackson, the seventh president proves an almost perfect figure for an astute, penetrating and delightfully gripping biography. Jackson – as both a military leader and politician – was radiantly charismatic, sometimes maddeningly volatile and exceedingly devoted to the advancement of the “common man’s” cause. He almost single-handedly changed the trajectory of American politics during his presidency. And as a husband he was (much to my surprise) charmingly and uncommonly devoted to his wife – even after her death. In every way he deserves a great biography and Remini proves himself up to the challenge.

Overall, Robert Remini’s “The Life of Andrew Jackson” is a very good summary of his even better three-volume series on Jackson. This biography captures nearly all of the best of the series while leaving behind only less-crucial detail and ancillary color. Very few people will ever consume both the abridgment and the series, but what is clear from the experience is that as significant a task reading nearly fourteen-hundred pages may seem, Remini’s three-part series on Jackson is worth every moment invested and repays its audience in a thousand small ways.

But for the time starved reader, Remini’s single-volume biography of Andrew Jackson is an easy – and extremely worthy – choice. This biography is wonderfully insightful, rich with cogent observations and analysis, and capture’s the core of Remini’s wisdom in an incredibly efficient and effective way.

Overall rating: 4 stars

[Amanda Grinavich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about Andrew Jackson - he broke the mold of the previous founding fathers before him, and so it was a bit refreshing (from a reading standpoint) to have someone of a completely different nature pop up.

A few interesting things I found as I read:

+ He was not short on personality & certainly never afraid to speak his mind. He was also pretty tough considering the duels, battles, getting shot, etc. One of my favorite stories was how a guy tried to assassinate him, and instead of ducking like most would - he chased after him!
+ The people truly adored him - and vice versa.
+ He encompassed both ends of the political spectrum.
+ He was the first (and only) president to pay off the national debt in full. (IMAGINE?)
+ His whole thing around how the President is there to work for the people - and that citizens have to hold politicians accountable because they are there for us. (To this I again say .. imagine?) It was interesting that he wanted to get rid of the electoral college. His first campaign he actually won the popular vote but lost the electoral votes. (Sound familiar?)
+ He had some big contributions as well as a number of not-so-great moments, and I felt that the author outlined them all well (Indian Removal being the BIG one)

Speaking of times changing ... it still blows my mind that anyone could just walk right over to the White House and pay a visit to the President back then.

I'd actually consider reading more about him - but this was a great read to get started.

[Rachel N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did give me a good look at all of Andrew Jackson's life. The author was a bit too much in the camp of everyone at the time loved Jackson, I'm sure not everyone did. The author talks a bit about Jackson massacring Native Americans but he glosses over events like the trail of tears. He also doesn't talk much at all about Jackson's views on slavery. The author does do a good job of describing the ways Jackson changed the role of the president and expanded presidential powers. I also understand the battle of New Orleans much better now than I did from reading previous presidential biographies. Overall a decent biography though a bit long winded in spots.

[Joseph Viola · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Life of Andrew Jackson is the abridgement to Robert Remini’s 3 volume, National Book Award winning biography of our 7th president. This book does a very good job of detailing all of Andrew Jackson’s life, but I can tell the 3 volume set would provide additional context and detail on Andrew Jackson and would be worth the time investment. The abridgement is very detailed but doesn’t dive into any topic too deeply. For example, it covers his early upbringing, time as a lawyer, his role in the Burr conspiracy, his duels, time as a congressman, his involvement in the Creek War and the War of 1812 (Battle of New Orleans) all in about 100 pages! It then goes on to detail him seizing the Floridas from the Spanish (unclear if Monroe gave him the go ahead or not), his policy on removing the Native American population west of the Mississippi, the “era of corruption” of the JQA administration, and the loss of his beloved Rachel just a week or so after his election to the presidency . We finally get to his presidential years around page 175 where we dive into his battles with John Calhoun over the “Eaton affair”, and his position on nullification and the Tariff of 1828. Martin Van Buren plays a big part (and probably worth reading a biography of the “Little Magician” at a later date) in getting Calhoun the boot. The remainder of the book covers the Bank War, the rise of the Whig party as a counter to Jacksonian Democrats, and his remaining time in office and retirement.

While this was a very good book, I felt Remini was overly sympathetic to Jackson’s actions, especially with respect to the Indian Removal Act, something that is considered abhorrent today but also by many in Jackson’s time. While Remini does call Jackson’s act racist and inhumane, I felt it was also somewhat forgiving. The rest of the biography was solid, and does take Jackson to task over his lack of understanding economics and his vetoing of the Bank of the United States renewal bill.

Fun fact – as a result of the “Corrupt bargain” between JQA and Clay in the election of 1824, when Jackson was elected in 1828 he attempted to get a constitutional amendment passed to eliminate the electoral college and elect the president via popular vote!

Overall, Remini does a very good job of detailing Jackson’s life, and despite the overly favorable slant, I do think I will dive into the 3 volume set at some point, as Jackson played a major part in redefining the role of the President of the United States, putting it on a trajectory that we still see the effects of today.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remini covers the man and his life quite well.
He objectively portrays Jackson in light of his own words and deeds as well as the popular opinion of him in his time.
Jackson was an exemplary American, many of his actions were bold, some even crossed the line but time has vindicated his decisions.
I thoroughly enjoyed this account of the man.

[Jeremy Perron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew Jackson changed the face of the Republic; his election would signify the new reality that any American man* could be president. He was he first person of common humble origins to elected to the highest office. Jackson was the first president not be from the original thirteen colonies, and the first time the nation had turned to a `Westerner**'. He is the only president to have his own time period named after him, the `Jacksonian Era.' Until Andrew Jackson came on the scene `democracy' was a negative word similar to `anarchy'. Jackson changes all that making the republic the possession of the common people. Robert Remini does an incredible job displaying the good and bad of this incredible figure.

Jackson never knew his father, because he died while the future president was still in his mother's womb. Jackson, at the age thirteen, joined the American Revolution, during which he was captured. As a prisoner of war, he refused to clean a British officer's boots and consequently had his face slit open.

Jackson grew to manhood in the frontier he became a county lawyer and judge, dealing out harsh justice that the frontier expects. He would start a plantation that would ultimately become the Hermitage, and at this time, he would commit the horrible sin of slavery by acquiring slaves. He would fight in duels, most famously the fatal duel with Charles Dickinson. The Dickinson duel occurred because Dickinson insulted Rachel Jackson. What happened involving his wife was embarrassing, they had already married and then they found out her divorce from her first husband was invalid, so they had to remarry. This would be used against the Jacksons for the rest of their lives.

Jackson became involved in politics, serving at the Tennessee Constitutional Convention. He would later go one to be elected one of the state's first U.S. Representatives and then a U.S. Senator. Jackson found that he hated the Senate and resigned to gain a seat on the Tennessee Supreme Court. Jackson would gain the colonelcy of the Tennessee State Militia, and this would be the jumping point to a military career that earned him the nickname `Old Hickory.'

Remini describes a military career of incredible success. When the War of 1812 breaks out, the Creek Nation erupts into a civil war and as a result. Pro-British Creeks attack American settlements, and Jackson is sent to stop them. He and the men under his command, some of them were Native American allies, routed the Creeks. At then end of the war***, Jackson had one the greatest American military victories at the Battle of New Orleans.

"Hours earlier the battle in front of the Rodriguez Canal had ended. The entire assault had taken hardly more than two hours, the principal attack lasting only thirty minutes. When the grim business of counting the dead was done, the figures showed 13 American dead, 39 wounded, and 19 missing in action on January 8. British causalities amounted to 2,037, of which 291 were killed, 1,262 wounded, and 484 captured or missing." p.104

During the Monroe administration, in response to Spanish influenced incursions on the South by the Seminole Nation, Jackson was sent to stop the raids. Jackson went further then his orders indicated and apparently, James Monroe did not really seem to care! However, it might have been plausible deniability for President Monroe was rather pleased by his progress.

The election of 1824 was known as the battle of the giants with the single Democratic-Republican Party coming apart with fragments each rallying around each factions' chosen champion. When the votes were counted, Andrew Jackson had won the popular vote**** and he had more electoral votes than any other candidate, but the Constitution mandated a majority of electoral votes, which he did not have. The election was thrown to the U.S. House of Representatives where the top three candidates were: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and William Crawford. However, Henry Clay, who was the Speaker of House, was the fourth place candidate who did not qualify to be in the House consideration. Clay through all of his support behind Adams. Adams was elected and Clay was then made into the new Secretary of State. Considering the short history of that office*****, Jackson ran off screaming `corrupt bargain'!

Jackson did something no one had ever done before and that is he `ran for president'. He traveled built up support for four years and, in 1828, Jackson had a `revolution' where he and his newly named Democratic Party crushed John Quincy Adams's re-election bid. He would go on a hold the first `people's inaugural' that led to a great deal of partying and property destruction.

"The inauguration of General Andrew Jackson of Tennessee, despite the vulgarity and animal spirits unleashed by the occasion, was one of the great moments in American history. And the reason for this, as everyone agreed, was that it represented in a symbolic way a significant advance in representative government for the American people. Andrew Jackson was the people's own president -the first such--and that was something wonderful and exciting. Seeing the crowds and hearing them cheer a government that they themselves had called into existence augured well for the future of a democratic society." p.181-2

Remini then tells the story of Jackson's historic presidency. The seventh president would use the power of his office like no other before him. His struggle with the bank would prove to be one of the defining moments, not only of the nation's history, but in the office of the President of the United States.

"Indeed, Jackson's Bank veto is the most important veto ever issued by a President. Its novel doctrines advanced the process already in train by which the presidency was transformed and strengthened. To begin with, Jackson accomplished something quite unprecedented by writing this veto. Previous Presidents had employed the veto a total of nine times. In forty years under the Constitution only nine acts of Congress had been struck down by the chief executive, and only three of these dealt with important issues. In every instance the President claimed that the offending legislation violated the Constitution. It was therefore generally accepted that the question of a bill's constitutionality was the only reason to apply a veto. Jackson disagreed. He believed that a President could kill a bill for any reason--political, social, economic, or whatever--when he felt it injured the nation and the people."p.229-30

Another great event was the Nullification Crisis, in which, Jackson acted to save the Union establishing precedent for his future successor, Abraham Lincoln. Henry Clay acted swift enough to avoid bloodshed, but Jackson established the important precedent. What he had told once told Calhoun over drinks he was now telling to the nation: "The Union Must Be Preserved."

There is also discussion of Jackson's failures and bad acts. The 'Petticoat Affair' that resulted in the entire cabinet leaving and the establishment of the informal kitchen cabinet is discussed. In addition, most disgracefully, Remini writes about the removal of the Cherokee Nation from their ancestral lands to Oklahoma, which is the darkest stain of Jackson's legacy.

There is also the triumphant reelection of President Jackson over Henry Clay in 1832, the Big Cheese event, and his eventual retirement a brief eight-year post-presidency. Andrew Jackson led and incredible life and Robert Remini did an incredible job consolidating his massive research on Jackson into this one-book biography. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to explore the Jacksonian Era and the life of man who made it.

*at least white American

**Back when being a 'westerner' was possible on east of the Mississippi.

***Actually it was after the war, at least on paper

****First time in the history of the country that the popular vote was counted.

*****Thomas Jefferson had been Washington's Secretary of State.; James Madison had been Jefferson's. James Monroe had been James Madison's; and, John Quincy Adams filled the role for President Monroe.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

In these days where issues of equality are at the forefront Andrew Jackson is in a historical doghouse.
He was about to be replaced by Harriet Tubman on the twenty dollar bill, but for the current occupant
of the White House who said Jackson was his favorite president. If he knew ANYTHING about Jackson
he would have realized Jackson would have spit on a guy who avoided military service.

Jackson was not just a president. He lent his name to a whole era of American history from his
election of 1828 until the Civil War. Those years are called the Jacksonian era. It was the first broadening of the franchise that occurred in this era that led to a broadening of democracy although
for white men only. Still a most important item.

Andrew Jackson in our history would be important if he had never been elected president. A kid who
received some rough treatment during our American Revolution from British soldiers became a lifelong Anglophobe and dealt the British a stunning defeat in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 after we had called a truce to the war of 1812. Still if he had not won, the British probably would
have stayed there for decades. For that he would be an American hero if he never got to the
White House.

Jackson was born in 1767 of recent Scotch/Irish immigrants and before he was out of his teens he
lost both parents and two older brothers and from the Carolinas made his way to the frontier of
what became our 16th state Tennessee. Arriving a penniless immigrant he studied law, became a
planter of note and married the love of his life Rachel Donelson Robards. He had to marry her
twice because her divorce from a first husband had not finalized yet and to use the phrase common
then "they lived in sin" for two years. That became the subject of gossip which Jackson took great
offense too, he killed and wounded people who made any slighting remarks.

Jackson was in command of the Tennessee state militia when the War of 1812 broke out. American
Indians, certain tribes were in alliance with the British. Before New Orleans Jackson defeated the
Creek nation confederation at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. No doubt that he arrived at his view
that the tribes ought to be moved across the Mississippi River so there would be farm land available
for the whites who became constituents. The removal of the Cherokees, Choctaws, Creeks and
Chickasaw tribes and the 'Trail of Tears' during his presidency was one of the darker periods of it.

He got a mission from President James Monroe to clear out Florida then under weak Spanish control. He did it decisively, we took Florida and the war against the Seminoles there started which
would last for 20 years. The Spanish protested, their pride was hurt, but Florida became part of the
USA.

In 1824 the party system was re-aligning and several candidates offered themselves among them
Jackson who got the most electoral and popular vote. But fell short of a majority. The election
went to the House of Representatives and John Quincy Adams was elected after Henry Clay through
his support to Adams and became Secretary of State. Jackson and his partisans cried foul and
'corrupt bargain'. Adams never got his presidency off the ground. Four years later Jackson came
in on a landslide.

Jackson being from the agricultural south favored low tariffs. But when South Carolina offered the
doctrine of nullification of the tariff lest they secede Jackson took a firm hand. They backed down
and quietly down the road Jackson got the tariff lowered.

In Jackson's eyes the concentration of money power in the 2nd Bank of the United States headed by
one Nicholas Biddle was a threat to democracy. Some of the most radical financial notions that
ever came out of one of our presidents. He removed the government deposits from the Biddle bank
and spread them into several state banks. He also did not recharter the Bank of the US. In 1832
Henry Clay running against Jackson for a second term made the election a referendum on the bank.
Clay misread public opinion and Jackson won another landslide.

At the end of his presidency Jackson encouraged the Texas revolt against Mexico and he recognized
the new Texas Republic. As a former president he labored mightily to see that it came about and
it did in 1845 a few months before Jackson died.

Jackson's election was a first in many respects. The first president from west of the Appalachins,
the first who wasn't either a Virginia aristocratic planter or a flinty Massachusetts man from the
Adams family. The Democratic party came into being, he was the first president to proclaim himself a member. The party won in many states and abolished the property qualification and
the electorate broadened.

In Jackson's world Indians were to be removed as they impeded Anglo-Saxon civilization. Black
people's place in the order of things were as slaves, just how things were in his eyes. And the
British were to be watched at all costs. Jackson was what he was, a man of his time.

Nevertheless his presidency was a significant one and author Robert Remini the foremost Jacksonian scholar of the era brings Jackson to vivid life in this condensation of his three volume
work.

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is impossible for me, and probably a lot of other people, to read about Andrew Jackson and get past the Indian Removal Act of 1830. It was a horrific decision that was even more brutal due to poor execution and should only be thought of as one of the most shameful events in American history. We should not be memorializing or affirming this act by having Andrew Jackson on the twenty dollar bill in my opinion, regardless of his other contributions to the United States.


While the author describes the removal as “disgraceful”, he also attempts to absolve Jackson of some of the blame. He argues that Jackson advocated removal not out of racism, but as a means to keep the tribes alive. He essentially presents removal as inevitable, given the disgusting violence from both sides and the inability to agree to common laws or territorial claims. I wasn't particularly compelled by these arguments and didn't see a lot of supporting source material to see Jackson's true intentions in this way.


Beyond that issue, Jackson did make a number of important contributions to American politics and enjoyed one of the more effective presidencies. He was the first President to veto something from Congress just because he didn't like it, which greatly enhanced executive power. He also prevented South Carolina from seceding from the Union in the Nullification Crisis when they were unhappy with paying high tariffs on foreign goods. He also got rid of the Bank of the United States, putting his entire reelection campaign on the line to do so.  Jackson essentially founded the Democratic party, a party that in no way resembles the current version. And those are just his primary political achievements.


The book also calls him America's first true war hero. I'm not clear on why George Washington didn't qualify. Jackson won the Battle of New Orleans, which proved American military power to defend itself against the British a second time. I thought it was a glaring omission by the author to not clearly state that the peace treaty for the War of 1812 had already been signed a few weeks prior to this battle. I get that this book is a condensed one volume version of a three book series, so maybe that detail got cut out. But there's a paragraph about what silverware Jackson bought for the White House, so I'm pretty sure he could have fit it in.


Jackson was a man of incredible passions. He had a deep love for his wife but also deep rage that came out especially in his younger days. John Quincy Adams called him a murderer who could barely spell his own name. Jackson's spelling was indeed shockingly bad, but the author does make a well laid out argument that “Old Hickory” was actually a fairly smart person.


He was also absurdly tough. He had several duels as a younger man and lived twenty plus years with two bullets lodged inside him. One bullet in his arm eventually raised up where you could see it in his arm when he was older.  


He deeply believed in working for the people and in the power of the people's will for freedom. The presidents before him did not see themselves as working directly for the people in the same way.  He was certainly a true American original with a sometimes entertaining, sometimes appalling story. This book did a good job of capturing it.

[Alex Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was really enjoying this book until I reached the section dealing with Jackson's Indian removal policy, which....I'm going to be extremely blunt here and say that it's borderline apologia for what can only be described as ethnic cleansing and possibly even genocide.

I think it's best to directly quote the relevant passages here:

"The removal of the American Indian was one of the most significant and tragic acts of the Jackson administration. It was accomplished in total violation not only of American principles of justice and law but of Jackson’s own strict code of honor. There can be no question that he believed he had acted in the best interest of the Indian, but to achieve his purpose countless men, women, and children suffered deprivation and death. Jackson’s humanitarian concerns—and they were genuine—were unfortunately shot through with ethnocentrism and paternalism that allowed little regard or appreciation of Indian culture and civilization." (second-to-last paragraph of Chapter 16, don't have the page numbers for my kindle edition).

I mean, wtf? Shot through with "ethnocentrism"? You mean "racism"? This whole passage basically reads as, "Jackson did ethnic cleansing, but he did it politely and sincerely."

He follows it up with even more whitewashing just one paragraph later:

"Andrew Jackson left office believing that thousands of Indians had found what he considered a safe haven west of the Mississippi River. He left believing he had saved the Indians from inevitable doom. And, considering the tribes which have survived to this day, perhaps he had." (last paragraph of chapter 16).

This is just awful. How can you seriously write with a straight face that a guy who presided over a mass ethnic cleansing campaign might have "saved" said ethnic group? Can you imagine if, say, a Serbian propagandist during the Bosnian war in the 90s wrote that the Serbs were actually saving the Bosnian Muslims by removing them? That's essentially what Remini is doing here.

And Remini still can't help himself in Chapter 28 as he sums up Jackson's presidential legacy:

"Among his other accomplishments, Jackson also acquired an enormous territory from the Indians extending further than the combined states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Delaware."

Ethnic cleansing as an "accomplishment." You read that right.

For all the book's wit, color, and analysis, the above, along with the hagiography - "Andrew Jackson was one of the few genuine heroes to grace the presidency. He was courageous and strong. And he was indomitable." (lol wut?) - was enough to mar the book for me.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure if I'm reviewing the book or it's subject. Either way, I'm glad I'm done with this one.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

“[Andrew Jackson] is a dangerous man.”

— Thomas Jefferson

As this author notes, however, he was also “one of the grandest and most colossal figures to stride across American history.”

Dubbed “The Napoleon of the woods” by the Spanish, whom he had, as a General, spectacularly routed from Florida, Andrew Jackson was a highly consequential figure.

1) A man of many “firsts,” he was Tennessee’s first representative in Congress and the first territorial governor of Florida.

2) During the South Carolina nullification crisis, he became the “first American statesman to offer the doctrine of the United States as a perpetual entity,” and the first and only statesman of the early national period to publicly and emphatically deny the “right of secession.”

3) He was the first (and only) President to pay off the national debt.

4) He was the first to use the presidential veto against legislation for reasons unrelated to its constitutionality.

5) He resolved a lingering constitutional question by becoming the first President to dismiss a Congress-appointed Cabinet officer.

6) He was the first to assert that the President represents the American people, which was such an unconventional idea at the time that the great Daniel Webster protested, “The Constitution no where calls [the President] the representative of the American people… I hold this, Sir to be a … dangerous assumption.”

7) He was the first President to be censured by the Senate (it was later expunged).

8) He was the first President to be criminally assaulted, which the author suggests was a “sign—one ugly and frightening—that the country was undergoing disturbing changes in its character, mood, and behavior.”

9) He was the first “People’s President,” sharing a “mutual attitude of love and respect” with the electorate that was “totally novel in American history.”

10) And, finally, he was the first Democrat to become President.

The Whig party (historically the British monarchy’s opposition) had emerged in the States directly as a result of his increasingly powerful presidency. That he was highly consequential is therefore hardly debatable.

But he was consequential for tawdry reasons, too. Although he believed in franchise for free Black and naturalized Native American men, and even adopted a Native American named Lyncoya as his son, Jackson will forever be remembered for the Indian Removal Act of 1830, “one of the most significant and tragic acts of the Jackson administration.” The Act was “harsh, arrogant, racist,” but Jackson’s “objective was not the destruction of Indian life and culture. Quite the contrary. He believed that removal was the Indian’s only salvation against certain extinction.” Nevertheless, he “was so anxious to expel the red man from ‘civilized society’ that he took little account of what his inflexible determination might cost in human life and suffering.” It is one of the many sad chapters in American history.

The book itself flows seamlessly enough, though it certainly has its dry and slow moments particularly when it gets to the controversy around the Bank of the US. I also don’t think a whole chapter about the rebuilding of Jackson’s Hermitage and then another about his renovation of the White House were necessary. But given the short length (as this is an abridgment of a multi-volume biography) I’d say this was well-written and informative.

[Vicki Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Life of Andrew Jackson by Robert Remini is the next book I chose in my presidential biographies challenge. (Reading at least one biography of each president, in order.) This is the abridged version of Remini's three-volume series on AJ, recommended by Stephen Floyd as the best single-volume biography. While Remini does point out many of AJ's flaws, he clearly admires his subject, so it feels like the biggies (Indian removal, slave ownership, and some political missteps) were glossed over. Remini does a good job of bringing AJ to life and highlighting how AJ almost singlehandedly threw out the window the Founders careful checks against pure democracy.

AJ was the original populist, going much further than even Thomas Jefferson. AJ railed against the educated elite, the establishment, the Bank of the US, paper money, the national debt, nationalists, urban dwellers, and anything remotely Hamiltonian. But much to the delight of farmers, laborers, tradesman, and the like, AJ loudly proclaimed the wisdom of the common man. “The people know their own wants and necessities and therefore are best able to rule themselves,” he declared, because “God… made every man equal to his neighbor.” (Well, every WHITE MAN. He glaringly omitted Native Americans, African Americans - free or slave, Mexicans, Spaniards, and women, but I digress.) In four short years, American voters swung from the most intelligent and highly qualified American president (John Quincy Adams) to one of the least educated, least qualified. AJ's inauguration was described as the whole White House having been "inundated by the rabble mob." Jackson demanded loyalty from his cabinet and political appointees which, on the surface sounded good, but eventually devolved into the "spoils system" where a person's politics and loyalty to president and party outweighed any qualifications for the job.

Any of this sounding familiar? I guess there really is nothing new under the sun and what's that they say about those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it? If for no other reason that the election of America's 45th president, this is an enlightening read.

Minor quibble: The Kindle version of this book desperately needs a good editor. The spelling and grammatical errors are glaring. I gave the book 3.5 stars and rounded down because of that.

Now, on to Martin Van Buren!

[Tad · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy, entertaining, and informative read, this book was nevertheless frustratingly biased in favor of Jackson. An example from chapter 27 - "Andrew Jackson was one of the few genuine heroes to grace the presidency. He was courageous and strong. And he was indomitable. The American people always believed that as long as General Andrew Jackson lived, the democracy was safe."

Andrew Jackson was undoubtedly impressive in many ways, but he also had faults. He was also very controversial. This is acknowledged in passing by Remini, but never really taken seriously. His attitude towards slavery and the indigenous people of the continent are key examples. Remini states that the Trail of Tears was a tragedy and that Jackson shared responsibility for it, but immediately makes up all kinds of excuses for him so that the reader is left to feel that Remini really thinks Jackson was the best thing the Native Americans could have hoped for.

Likewise with slavery, Remini never really addresses the fact that Jackson was a strong supporter of the institution. We don't need to judge him by the standards of our time to say that he was at the very least not a leader on this issue - abolitionists existed at the time. I was struck when Remini reported that Jackson replaced a good percentage of the White House staff with slaves. He mentions this as an example of Jackson's thrift and desire to keep government spending down. Horrible and unnecessary exploitation of human beings in the name of saving a buck doesn't strike me as praiseworthy, as Remini seems to want us to think.

A final example of the bias of this book was the fact that during the (very well-written) narration of Jackson's victory at New Orleans, nowhere was it mentioned that the War of 1812 was already over at the time and the battle was in many ways pointless! As another reviewer, Lucas, mentioned, Remini could spend a page describing the silverware Jackson bought for the White House but couldn't fit that fact into his narrative.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written single volume bio of one of America's most interesting and transformative presidents.

Remini's single volume bio of Jackson, derived from his 3-volume work, is a beautifully written and captivating look at the most transformative president since Jefferson and before Lincoln.

Remini's writing borders on the hagiographic but it's forgivable as it helps give a sense of how intense people's feelings were for Jackson (and the level of intensity that Jackson brought to nearly every endeavor). Those that loved him REALLY loved him and those that hated him REALLY hated him.

That's not saying that either side has the whole of the argument. As Jackson was wholly devoted to the Union and "the people" and his desire to preserve and promote both (at the expense of states rights, the Bank of the United States,, Congress, and native tribes) presents what might be an intractable dilemma in terms of judging who was "right."

Remini doesn't shy away from criticizing Jackson and specifically describes several of his decisions as "disastrous" - but he thankfully refrains from the moral preening and "presentism" that embodies so many modern biographies of historical figures.

The greatest value in this single volume is the attention given to the rise of "the democracy." While the country was largely content with the Founders vision of educated elites representing them, the "corrupt bargain" between JQ Adams and Henry Clay that led to Jackson losing the 1824 election despite winning the popular vote and, absent that bargain, would have won the electoral votes in Congress, demonstrated a sea change in voters opinions on their place in the process.

Jackson's view that he, as president, was the direct representative of the people rather than Congress, and the measures he took in advance of that is both fascinating and transformative. Remini does a fabulous job of showing that tension and really shows why Jackson matters.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I read a second book on this president and gave Andrew Jackson another chance. Although he did things that today we are embarrassed by, he also did some pretty amazing things as well. He had convictions to such a strong degree that you just have to admire the guy. During his life and time in government, he changed the country in every way. From the literal size of our country to the way we view the government to the way the president behaves with congress. He was loved and revered by the vast majority of citizens. He allowed America to prosper by his policies and even after office when he was slowly dying he still spent his last years doing what he could for the United States.

It is so easy to judge a man by a few facts that you know about him. As soon as you understand him better by viewing his life as a whole and reading his thoughts on the page, it is much harder to dislike him. This is very much the case with Andrew Jackson.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was more a play-by-play of Andrew Jackson's battles than it was a biography of the man. I expected to learn more about his defining years, the driving factors of his life, and his political challenges, successes and failures. However, 98% of this book focused on his military career, which was of course a significant part of his adult life. Unfortunately, his two terms as the seventh President of the United States were a mere footnote. The book closes with "In the present age, Americans should still be grateful for what he did." The book didn't leave me with that impression and I finished the book feeling I hadn't learned much of the man, but also not having any interest in reading more about him.

[Tim Callicutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

More so than many other presidential biographies, the writing is engaging and establishes a strong narrative thread. The book dates from the late '80s and you can see the age at times. It's not that Remini's scholarship is outdated, but rather that he doesn't hold the same foci as modern historians. For instance, Remini's account of Jackson's Indian Removal Policy comes off as perhaps overly sympathetic towards Jackson, simply due to the fact that he failed to account for the native perspectives in any sort of meaningful way. Sure, he walks us through the main events, and even gives lip service to the terrible legacy of removal, but both of these receive short shrift in comparison to his exploration of why Jackson pursued it. Remini also doesn't go into as much depth in pulling out larger historical themes from the narrative as many other presidential biographers do. But man, can he make the man come alive!

[Susan Bouma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite of the Jackson biographies that I have read. It‘s an abridgment of Robert Remini’s three-volume series which covers Jackson’s life as a youth, his move to the western frontier, his military service and his two terms as President. Remini does a great job interpreting the conflicts, adversities, motivations and desires that developed the dynamic and passionate personality of this naturally gifted leader. At 400 pages it’s an investment in time, for sure, but the writing is excellent and Remini’s insights, analysis and interpretation make it enjoyable to read.

[Luke Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had thought Andrew Jackson was just a massive d-bag, but after reading this book I have a lot more respect for him.

[Jason Mekosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography with entertaining quotes and an appropriate pacing. My favorite presidential biography so far.

[Eddie Quintana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the handful of presidential biographies I’ve read, this is the first one where I’ve loved the book but still despised the president. (Usually, a great president yields a great biography, and a bad president makes for a frustratingly incomplete book.) Remini did an incredible job of illuminating Jackson’s thought process. He’s a bit too forgiving of Jackson’s atrocities, but overall, it’s a great read that captures Jackson’s will and leadership.

[Brian Manville · Rating 5 out of 5]

America is replete with larger than life characters who seem to characterize the American spirit. Andrew Jackson is encapsulated and described in vivid detail in Robert Remini's biography of the 7th president.

A true gauge of the effectiveness of a biography is how well balanced the author treats his subject. Remini does largely succeeds in making Jackson a real person. This is not glowing hagiography nor hatchet piece. His temper, duels as well as his bullying of the Indians are not glossed over but given fair treatment and shown to be character flaws. Jackson, like many men of his era, sought battlefield glory. That glory was able to get him on the national stage and eventually to the presidency.

Conversely, his strengths are also revealed; most telling is his loving devotion to his wife Rachel. While the actual events surrounding his courtship and marriage to the former Rachel Donelson are shadowed by controversy, what is not in dispute is the fact that their relationship that was real and loving. Rachel's premature death in 1828 (shortly after his election as president) had a lasting effect on him. Her piety made a difference in his life to the point he eventually became a member of the Presbyterian Church after his term in the White House.

Remini does an excellent job of placing Jackson's candidacies, elections and term of office within its proper, historical context. Seen as having been robbed by John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay and their "corrupt bargain" which fueled his populist campaign in 1828. His efforts to return the American government to the people and avoid the creation of a permanent ruling aristocracy can provide encouragement to those fighting that same battle today.

The book shows both the successes and failure of the Jackson administration. The latter can be seen in his woeful appointment of members of his cabinet. However, his triumphs, most notably the abolition of the Bank of the United States, are chronicled and extolled without cheerleading.

Trying to tell the story of a man who was soldier, lawyer, general, representative, governor, senator and president can make for a long story. The author originally had 3 volumes dedicated to his subject; his reducing it down to one volume was a wise decision for the benefit of arm chair historians such as myself.

BOTTOM LINE: "The Life of Andrew Jackson" is a life worth reading about.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The foreword to this book indicates that the author, Robert V. Remini, explains that this work is actually a reduction of a massive, academic review of President Jackson. This version is a lively, interesting exposition of this controversial and seminal Chief Executive. Jackson was born during the American Revolution of extreme poverty and grew to a national and international figure of merit, all the while being attacked by more learned opponents. Jackson is prominently remembered and many of his critics marginalized.

Remini has done a superb job of reducing a Magnus Opus into a readable, non-academic book. Details of his life that place his political philosophy in context; insights drawn from his personal life that help define his views on major issues like the Bank of the United States; and many more interesting points which his research discovered make this a fascinating read.

Jackson is clearly not an ignorant and arrogant as his attackers would lead one to believe; however, Jackson may not be as completely virtuous as his biographer contends.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remini accomplishes a lot with this condensed version of his three volume of Jackson. He presents a vivid picture of one the most distinctive men to ever be President. He sets up a clear picture of a man who could strategize and organize in amazing detail... yet ignore the follow through. A compulsive Christian... who was equally committed to slavery and the Removal of Native Americans.

This didn't cause me to adjust my stance on 'Bloody Andrew.' But it gave me a better basis to understand him, and regret, like many important American politicians, his failure to transcend the limitations of his time.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biography of a very important president. I'm glad I read it as I had only a passing knowledge of Jackson & his times.

[Campbell Stites · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah yes, my most anticipated presidential book has come to pass, and my expectations have been completely blown away. Remini’s book was a total masterpiece in my eyes. When I started this book, I was skeptical of it just because of the fact that it was written in 1988, and it was an abridged version of his 3 part biography of Jackson, but that all went out the window after the preface. This book was so incapacitating and I really never wanted to put it down. For readability, I give this the high rating thus far of a 9.75/10. This wasn’t the longest book ever but I never once was unable to understand the text or what was being described in the book, just such amazing & flowing writing from Remini. For depth, although this was an abridged edition, and it was not super long (I could read a 900 page book with ease from RVR), it really still was able to cover tons of Jackson’s life including childhood, time in Tennessee Politics and in the military, and his presidency. I think this book was the perfect amount of depth, but it was a little shorter, so I’m giving it a 9.25/10. For engagement, like I wrote before, this book had me looked in on every chapter regardless of topic, thanks to Remini & Jackson, I was engaged heavily in each stage of AJ’s life and couldn’t put the book down. That being said, I’m giving it a 9.5/10. Overall, this book blew me away in every aspect and is my new favorite among the biographies I have read thus far, as apparent from my ratings, it overachieved in every aspect no argument. Overall Rating 9.25/10. Now, moving on to Jackson himself, these next ratings will be almost synonymous to the ones above. Jackson was a man of character (quite a character), grit, determination, and finally democracy. He was a “man of the people,” and used the presidency to backup that title. For accomplishments, he came from basically nothing, and made himself into one of the greatest men in the 19th century. He was a war hero not only in the War of 1812, but in the creek war and many other American conflicts, he was a master negotiator using force and refusing to give up ground on matters of foreign and domestic affairs. He destroyed the corrupt national bank, secured monstrous amounts of land in the south, stopped nullification in its tracks, and paid off all the national debt. Not to mention his nearly perfect foreign policy accomplishments. I could go and on about what he did. However, he wasn’t the best when it came to cabinet appointments and that cost the country lots of money and embarrassment, and he failed to annex Texas in addition to his failure to attack the question if slavery at all. After all that, after transforming the American Presidency, he gets a 9.75/10. For how “Great” he was, there is no debate he is the ALL TIME great this far. He fought duels, he took bullets and let them stay for his whole life, he lived and worked with horrible sickness but just didn’t care. He was a military badass, and he carried that persona to his politics, so I give him a 9.5/10. He did own slaves and could be harsh on people, but I really admire his Christian beliefs and I thought Remini did an excellent job including that in the book. Like every man he made mistakes and blunders (trail of tears, slavery, unnecessary aggression), but Jackson transformed the country as we know it, and who knows what the United States would be like without his 8 glorious years in office.

[Jaime Ball · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Remini’s The Life of Andrew Jackson, which is an abridgment to a much larger 3 volume biography of Jackson, provides a detailed account of Andrew Jackson’s life in a much similar to Brand’s biography. It covers his early upbringing, time as a lawyer, his role in the Burr conspiracy, his many duels, time as a congressman, conflict with Crockett, his involvement in the Creek War and the Battle of New Orleans in the first one hundred pages. Unlike Brands, more focus is placed on Jackson’s seizing of Florida from the Spanish, Indian Removal west of the Mississippi, and the “era of corruption”. It is clear, however, that Remini is an enthusiastic writer of his subject as he is very praiseful in his evaluation of Jackson’s achievements. He is a careful scholar who does not seem to let his prejudices cloud the evidence he finds. For example, he writes about young Jackson having an affair with a married woman, Rachel Donelson Robards. After some time, Rachel is divorced from her husband which allows Jackson and Rachel to marry by ceremony in 1794. During Jackson’s campaign against John Quincy Adams in 1828, Adam’s campaign discovered the story of Jackson and Rachel “living in sin” together for several years. Jackson responds with a statement that he and Rachel had indeed been married in 1791 under the understanding that a divorce had already been granted. Remini researches through much of the Jackson Papers Project to discover that the story of the 1791 marriage ceremony was an elaborate lie! However, Remini is steadfast in his belief that Jackson was a great American noble man. Remini also defends Jackson’s policy of Indian Removal as more of a rescue of the natives by what he claims are aggressive white settlers.
“Removal of the Five Civilized Nations of the south was indeed a horror, but today the Cherokees, Choctaws, Creeks, Chickasaws, and Seminoles are alive and have their own national identities. Had they not been removed they would most likely have joined the list of the tribes who have disappeared.”
Explaining that by expelling them from their native lands Jackson saved them from annihilation by white settlers, speaking only of national identities instead of focusing on the cultural identities lost to assimilation policies and practices that followed Indian removal.
Remini writes in a 1995 essay that the same fiery military man who chased Spaniards from Florida also once swore allegiance to the king of Spain. Like many Americans in 1789, in order to do business inside Spanish territory a then twenty-two-year-old Jackson had to sign an oath swearing allegiance to the King of Spain. Remini seems to enjoy the irony of this tale, but at the same time includes that Jackson “probably paid no attention” to the oath and it was most likely a necessary formality. Here was this man that represented the most rebellious time in American history according to Parton, making himself a vassal to the king of Spain.

[Keenan Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

After visiting Hermitage, picked up this biography in the bookstore. Jackson was an orphaned nomad as a young adult and started a new life as one of the original western settlers, having settled in Tennessee. Jackson gained originally gained recognition in the state as a lawyer, but soon got elected into politics. During this time, he controversially fell in love and proposed to a married woman, Rachel. She was able to secure a divorce, but the salatious nature of their relationship was a major roadblock during his Presidential campaign from the opposition who held that his wife was an adulterer.

Jackson was probably the most revered and celebrated President since Washington prior to election due to his military success. He won the critical battles in New Orleans and Florida which allowed the US to expand into the southwest and secure the gulf. Of course, Jackson is rightfully criticized for his treatment of Native Americans and his ultimate policy of removal of the Native American west of Mississippi. While his logic is flawed, Jackson truly believed that he was "saving" the native american from more violence with US settlers by providing them land west of the mississippi, but it resulted in immense human suffering. This has haunted his legacy, but Jackson contributed so much more to modern democracy and had many other accomplishments.

He saved the Union and put down nullification, which above all was his crowning achievement as President. Almost as important was his unique success in reducing government, placing power with the states and ultimately paying off the entire federal deficit. As for reform, Jackson inherited what was a very corrupt cabinet, and placed terms on elected officials and placed the power back in the hands of the people. He also eliminated the corrupt national bank, a move consistent with his democratic philosophy.

Personally, Jackson was a hothead who often enflamed in order to get his point across, but he was more emotionally stable than given credit for. He was very tender hearted with his family and citizens, merely using his temper as a tool to get his way. He also had a late religious conversion in life.

I think one of Jackson's greatest traits was the his ability to push forward through his own suffering. He lived 78 years when the average person died in his 50's. He had considerable hemorrhaging his entire adult life and lived with a bullet lodged against his heart fort he majority of his life. He avoided death for so long out of shear will.

[Jeremy Anderberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

When most people today start exploring the life of Andrew Jackson, it’s probably with the Trail of Tears in mind, and his (delayed) expulsion from the $20 bill. But until the last couple decades, he was up there with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as one of America’s most revered presidents.

He has the hero of the War of 1812. He spoke for the common, rural man. He stuck it to the Federalist banking system. He killed a man in a duel for crying out loud!

And, he perpetrated one of the horrors of America’s history in displacing tens of thousands of Native Americans from their Southeastern homelands (thousands of whom died during that process).

He was a complex man to say the least, as all of our presidents have been. What sets Jackson apart is that he displayed those complexities to the extreme and in a way that not many presidents have.

I could go on about his life, but instead I’ll move onto the book itself, and in general, the experience of reading about Jackson:

I started with Jon Meacham’s American Lion. I enjoyed Meacham’s bios of Jefferson and George H.W. Bush, so it seemed like a logical starting point. Unfortunately, it was a disappointment, and I abandoned it about 70 pages in (someone once told me to give a book 100 pages minus your age before giving up). It was more about social scandals than Andrew Jackson. Pass.

I also knew that H.W. Brands had a well-known one-volume bio of Jackson, but I’ve had some poor experiences with Brands and didn’t feel like giving him another shot.

So I figured I’d dive into Robert Remini’s 3-volume set, at the recommendation of Steve Floyd. I got about 100 pages in and thoroughly enjoyed it, but decided it was just going to end up being too much. I didn’t know hardly anything about the guy; I needed an overview before I got into 1,500 pages of text. So I grabbed the one-volume abridgment, which clocks in a totally reasonable 360 pages. (Though it should be noted that the margins are minimal and font size is very small; it felt at least a third longer than that.) I’m not generally into abridgments, but Remini did this one himself, carefully excising the unnecessary text and presenting a carefully crafted, compelling, and most importantly, digestible account of the life of Andrew Jackson.

If you’re going to start in on the General’s life, this is definitely the volume I recommend, even it is a hair dry at times. The final paragraphs are some of the most convincing and powerful I’ve read in all my presidential reading.