Young Hickory: The Making of Andrew Jackson

Rating:
Summary: An Exciting Story
Review: Young Hickory carries you along like a boat in a spring flood. The story of the British campaign in the Carolinas is as well-told as I have ever read. Booraem is a fine story-teller and paints an unforgettable picture of those exciting times. -

Rating:
Summary: HUZZAHS FOR YOUNG HICKORY!
Review: YOUNG HICKORY
The Making of Andrew Jackson
Hendrik Booraem

Character and personality are shaped, it is generally believed, almost entirely in the early years. When the poet William Wordsworth says, "the child is father of the man" he echoes an earlier poet, John Milton, who said, "childhood shows the man, as morning shows the day."

In this excellent biography by Hendrik Booraem we learn of the time, the events and the people that bent the twig that would grow into Old Hickory, the seventh president of the United States -- Andrew Jackson.

Old Hickory is but one of the many nicknames that adhered to President Jackson. It is a wonderfully appropriate name. The quality of hickory is strength and endurance; it is the perfect handle for any striking tool that delivers great force and will not break on impact. He was also called the Hero of New Orleans, Duel Fighter and Sharp Knife. It will probably never be known just how many duels Jackson fought, or even how many men he killed in the process. As president, Jackson was feared for his rages. They seemed uncontrollable, yet it is believed he used his anger as a precision tool to intimidate and control others.

"Young Hickory" provides a fascinating account of Jackson's life up to age 21. Biographer, Hendrik Booraem is a noted historian; this is his third book focused on the adolescent years of an American President. I have not read his first, "The Road to Respectability" (1988) about President James A. Garfield. But, I have read and reread "The Provincial" (1994) Booraem's penetrating take on Calvin Coolidge. That careful and insightful book goes further to explain the character of the 30th president than does any other single book published in the last 50 years. In the case of Coolidge -- Booraem's research is exhaustive and painstaking. Often, he discovered neglected primary sources or assigned a new spin to an old story. I can only assume that the same quality is present in his book on Jackson. Where the record is not clear, and that is often the case, he provides you with the divergent accounts and his reasons for the one he chooses and the basis for his informed speculation.

The style of this book is literate and graceful; the words conduct you to the world of young Andy Jackson and make you glad you took the journey. Young Hickory was born on March 15, 1767. He grew up in South Carolina and considered himself a native of that state. There is some basis for the stoutly held contention that he was in fact born in North Carolina. As a boy, Jackson endured hardship and suffering. It is a wonder that he survived his youth. But, let's have Rik Booraem speak from his preface:

"The story of his early life, which unfolded during the American Revolution in the Carolinas, is highly dramatic. He nearly died of small pox after being wounded and imprisoned at the age of fourteen. The war destroyed his home and his immediate family. He constructed an entirely new identity to replace the one he had lost. After becoming a successful lawyer, he turned his attention toward the land west of the mountains."