The Life of Andrew Jackson

Rating:
Summary: "Follow your leader!" [?]
Review: In his amazing, hermetic short story "Benito
Cereno," the author Herman Melville has the line
"Follow your leader!" as an ironic comment --with
different implications in each situation. That
same commentary might be applied to the life of
Andrew Jackson and the legacy of Jacksonian "democracy"
which he brought to us in the wake of his electoral
victories in 1828 and 1832.
Is it "follow your leader!" -- for your "salvation"?
Or "follow your leader!" -- at your peril?
This one-volume biography of Andrew Jackson by
Robert Remini offers some interesting comparisons with
the fuller 3-volume biography also by Remini. There
are certain things to like about this "abbreviated"
version (360 pages of text). I personally think that
Remini has tightened up his prose and his observations.
This one-volume edition packs a more emphatic and
memorable momentum than the 3 volume edition. The
3-volume edition tends to diffuse points, as Remini

stretches out his explanation of a certain point. The
one-volume leaves the same point with "punch" -- and
a sort of enigmatic emphasis, which causes the reader
to remember the point better, I believe.
The early part of Jackson's life, his childhood and
the influences on him, I find to be particularly
fascinating. There is much to think about when one
reads of the hardships, the deprivations, and yet
the sad reactions and compensations that Jackson made
to "overcome" the depressing and ego threatening
effects of those early years. In one way, one can
admire him -- in another way, sadly shake one's head
as the means and the modes to cope have their way
with Jackson, and in the effects he has on the lives
of others.
I will leave to the reader the overall assessment
of Jackson and his legacy. But this is certainly an
excellent biography to create interest and insight
into an enigmatic and extremely influential figure
in U.S. history -- and we see the fall-out effects
of his philosophy and practices of government and
"democracy" (mass opinion and mass values "rule" --
De Tocqueville could see the flaws...)still around
us.
I like to look in places where most people pass by.
I find interesting sorts of things. There is this
from Remini's Bibliography:
"For the most part this book was researched from a
wide variety of surviving manuscript sources, the
largest single collection of which can be found in the
Library of Congress. This is the Andrew Jackson
Papers, given in part to the Library by the Blair
family, and it consists of roughly 22,500 items
(mostly correspondence) which are kept in 269
volumes and 58 containers. The military papers
occupy 14 volumes and the map division of the Library
has 11 additional items dealing with Jackson's
military operations along the Gulf Coast."
Amazing! And I really like Remini's prose
style also!
Excellent book to read -- and think seriously
about, on more levels than just as biography.

Rating:
Summary: "Follow your leader!" [?]
Review: In his amazing, hermetic short story "Benito
Cereno," the author Herman Melville has the line
"Follow your leader!" as an ironic comment --with
different implications in each situation. That
same commentary might be applied to the life of
Andrew Jackson and the legacy of Jacksonian "democracy"
which he brought to us in the wake of his electoral
victories in 1828 and 1832.
Is it "follow your leader!" -- for your "salvation"?
Or "follow your leader!" -- at your peril?
This one-volume biography of Andrew Jackson by
Robert Remini offers some interesting comparisons with
the fuller 3-volume biography also by Remini. There
are certain things to like about this "abbreviated"
version (360 pages of text). I personally think that
Remini has tightened up his prose and his observations.
This one-volume edition packs a more emphatic and
memorable momentum than the 3 volume edition. The
3-volume edition tends to diffuse points, as Remini

stretches out his explanation of a certain point. The
one-volume leaves the same point with "punch" -- and
a sort of enigmatic emphasis, which causes the reader
to remember the point better, I believe.
The early part of Jackson's life, his childhood and
the influences on him, I find to be particularly
fascinating. There is much to think about when one
reads of the hardships, the deprivations, and yet
the sad reactions and compensations that Jackson made
to "overcome" the depressing and ego threatening
effects of those early years. In one way, one can
admire him -- in another way, sadly shake one's head
as the means and the modes to cope have their way
with Jackson, and in the effects he has on the lives
of others.
I will leave to the reader the overall assessment
of Jackson and his legacy. But this is certainly an
excellent biography to create interest and insight
into an enigmatic and extremely influential figure
in U.S. history -- and we see the fall-out effects
of his philosophy and practices of government and
"democracy" (mass opinion and mass values "rule" --
De Tocqueville could see the flaws...)still around
us.
I like to look in places where most people pass by.
I find interesting sorts of things. There is this
from Remini's Bibliography:
"For the most part this book was researched from a
wide variety of surviving manuscript sources, the
largest single collection of which can be found in the
Library of Congress. This is the Andrew Jackson
Papers, given in part to the Library by the Blair
family, and it consists of roughly 22,500 items
(mostly correspondence) which are kept in 269
volumes and 58 containers. The military papers
occupy 14 volumes and the map division of the Library
has 11 additional items dealing with Jackson's
military operations along the Gulf Coast."
Amazing! And I really like Remini's prose
style also!
Excellent book to read -- and think seriously
about, on more levels than just as biography.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent summary
Review: My wife is from Nashville. The life of Andrew Jackson is the history of the South from our Revolution until after the War of 1812. It is hard to imagine another person in American history who so dominates a time and region.

Rating:
Summary: Good Abridgement of Remini's Jackson Bio
Review: Remini does a good job of explaining Andrew Jackson in this book, a one-volume abridgement of his famous three-volume treatment of the man.

Jackson's life was as wild and as adventurous as a Hollywood movie. This material is the stuff of exciting history and the author's accounts of Jackson's brawls, scrapes, wars and political fights make for great reading. Remini also does a good job of pointing out the contradictions that formed Jackson's personal and political personae, and explaining how this most unique of Americans came to dominate the politics of his time by greatly changing the idea of the presidency.

Jackson's rise was improbable. Orphaned as a teen and possessing all the faults of a frontier hothead, he managed to apprentice himself to a lawyer and took himself and his profession to the wild American west - Tennessee. In a milieu where aggressiveness and action were more highly valued than process and rules, Jackson quickly assumed the role of one of the leaders of this new territory. From the beginning, Jackson's political acuity was in evidence as he aligned himself with one of the two major factions in Tennessee. This gave him the opportunity to receive the patronage and position that a talented man like himself would build into a most impressive career.

Jackson the military man was a daring and impressive strategist. His "move and hit" dictum set him apart from many generals of his day and won laurels in the Creek War and in helping to relieve Spain of Florida. His sophistication as a military leader was revealed during his masterful defeat of the British before New Orleans. Jackson took a defensive position for the first time in his military career and allowed the British onslaught to waste itself against his line and batteries. He resisted the possibility of sallying forth when the first British units arrived before him and after what was obviously a crushing repulse of the British army after the battle. His patience won America new respect around the world and ended on a high note a war that had seen America's new capitol city sacked.

With that signal victory, Jackson possessed a reputation and stature that led him to the White House. His administration literally swept into power, redefining America in terms of policy with the elimination of the national bank and the government's debt and in terms of personnel with his "rotation in office" philosophy (more popularly and properly known as the "Spoils system.") His most signal achievement in office was to make the Presidency for the first time the preeminent branch of US government. Jackson was the first president to use the veto on policy grounds -- prior presidents had issued just eight vetoes and only when they thought acts of Congress were unconstitutional. Jackson used the veto to make the president a legislative force in his own right, forever changing the nature of policy and law making in the United States.

The book wonderfully chronicles Jackson's political struggles and the issues created and faced by his administration: nullification, tariff, Bank of the United States, and foreign policy to name a few.

More than just a good story, Remini uses the fascinating acts of Jackson's life to explain his perspective, political philosophy and moral guideposts in remaking America during his time.

I was glad the author produced this 400-page abridgement of his massive three volume Jackson study. It's a very good work that balances nicely between major events and analysis. The only hint that this is an abridgement is that the author occasionally repeats declarative sentences within a few paragraphs of each other. I suspect in his larger work these statements were separated by pages instead of paragraphs and functioned as an appropriate introduction and summary to a facet of the story the author was exploring. A minor quibble and the only reminder that this is a re-write. Otherwise, Remini's style is very readable and makes this important study a joy to read.

Rating:
Summary: Transformation of the Man
Review: Remini writes a relatively readable biography of Jackson that coveres all the main events in his life. There are two main themes in the book: 1) Jackson's transformation from a rash, angry orphan who kills in duels and executes his soldiers into a president of dignity, courage, and popularity; and 2) the "corrupt bargain" supposedly made between JQ Adams and Henry Clay in 1825 to deprive Jackson of the presidency, but which created popular anger that deprived Clay of the presidency and propelled the formation of the Democratic party out of the wreckage of the (Jeffersonian) Republican party.

Remini does an excellent job with the first theme, and I have come to have a grudging respect for a man whom I intensely disliked before I read this book because I learned how Jackson changed throughout his life. Some (e.g. Joel Silbey) have called this biography "laudatory," but I must disagree. Remini is frank about Jackson's flaws--the consequences of his anger, the brutality of his Indian removal policy, his hypocritical slave ownership, his uninformed economic policies, his habit of weak appointments to office, etc. But he also shows how this sad, angry kid became a great man and changed American politics from those of a republic to a democracy.

Remini was slightly less successful with the second theme. He uncritically accepts the corrupt bargain as a fact, although at least Nagel's biography of JQA is more skeptical. However, Remini does paint an interesting picture of how the supposed existence of the bargain did influence popular and elite opinion on many other issues during Jackson's career.

The writing is good but not great. Remini covers a very colorful man, so the biography could have been more colorful. At times it seems to drag when he covers the minutaie of legislative intrigue and cabinet politics. But overall the book is interesting and well-written.

Recommended for understanding the era of transition from the post-revolutionary era to the democratic, pre-Civil war era.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed it every time I picked it up
Review: Robert Remini is a scholar who really knows how to tell a story. And Jackson is a fascinating subject. Remini never gets bogged down in military or political minutia. He keeps the focus on Jackson, what Jackson wanted, what challenges he faced. He notes what was different then, but does not harp on it. The chapters are short, and each is a gem. (Having already written the long version, it might have been easier to be disciplined and concise in the abridgement.) I'm happy I read it. I learned a lot and spent several evenings enjoying this book. (I was going to give it 4 stars, because I don't think I will read it again. But if I do, it will be the long version, so I guess Rimini deserves a "high 5.")

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book on Jackson
Review: Robert Remini is the expert on Andrew Jackson and the Age of Jackson. This book, which is a culmination of many of his works on Jackson, is a masterpiece of biography. Highly readable, Remini shows why Jackson was one of the best Presidents we ever had. Remini does a good job on not just what Jackson did, but the man himself. Jackson's personality and how and why he was the way he was is a major focus of Remini. I especially enjoyed reading about Jackson's duels and his actions during the South Carolina Nulification. It is not political correct to like Jackson, but you can not deny he was one of our best and most important Presidents. This is a great biography of a great man.

Rating:
Summary: Not Remini's best work.
Review: This book has a lack of cohesiveness to it that leaves the reader (well, me at least) feeling like they have just read somebody's high school term paper rather than an authoritative text on Jackson. To be sure, he knows his subject matter, but there is too much editorializing and trivialty and not enough organization. Anyway, no hard feelings, Mr. Remini; I bought it in paperback.

Rating:
Summary: Very Readable biography - a page turner
Review: This condensed reissue of three volumes is well done and engaging. Written in a popular (not scholarly) style, the story of Andrew Jackson can be appreciated by casual readers.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging, eminently readable snapshot
Review: This is a gripping, well-written chronological account of Jackson's life from his 1767 birth in South Carolina to his death at the Hermitage in 1845. With a gifted, engaging literary style, Remini paints a series of memorable portraits of all the major scenes in Jackson's life. For instance, the opening pages describing the Battle of New Orleans are filled with more tension and excitement than most fiction!

Remini's literary, impressionistic style works most of the time, but for the complex political issues that come up when Jackson is president a bit more analysis would be useful. For instance, Remini describes in detail Jackson's hatred of the Bank of the United States, but never goes into any detailed discussion about whether this hatred was justified or the putative wrong-doings of the Bank. In that sense, the book is incomplete.

Some reviewers have worried that Remini overlooks the horrible fate of the Native Americans under Jackson's rule, such as the forced relocation of Native Americans to reservations west of the Mississippi. I must differ with these reviewers. For instance, in summarizing Jackson's treatment of the Native Americans, Remini says:

The removal of the American Indians 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 conduct (this is from p. 219).

Finally, to Remini's credit as an editor, the fact that this is a distilled version of his own three-volume work on Jackson never comes through. I would recommend 'The Life of Andrew Jackson' to anyone who wants an introduction to Andrew Jackson's personal and political lives, and doesn't mind missing out on some of finer political complexities of Jackson's time.