Andrew Jackson

Professor Remini's book, Andrew Jackson, is a well written and interesting biography of one of our greatest presidents. This well written, smooth reading book reads as if it were a novel. It draws on the main points of Jackson's life and times, and does it concisely. It is just over 200 pages therefore it should not scare off the casual reader, whith overwhelming size. Check out Remnini's other Jacksonian books because he is the eminent Jacksonian historian.

Author Robert Remini's 3-volume biography of Andrew Jackson is acknowledged to be one of the best. However, for someone - like me - for whom Jackson has long been an object of fascination but, regretfully, not someone that I was taught about in school or have had time to research on my own, I found the slender book detailed here the perfect introduction to "Sharp Knife" (the Indian nickname for Jackson.) Mr. Remini hits the high points (Jackson's origins, his role in the Revolutionary War, his courtship/marriage to Rachel Robards, his role in Indian affairs and the battle of New Orleans, as well as his two terms as President) in an efficient, informal manner. Stylistically, the book's contents are a broad brush-stroke, designed to provide a "jumping-off point" for the reader who is little-or-unacquainted with Jackson.Once you complete this book, if you still don't feel up to the challenge of the 3-volume work, I recommend the one-volume abridgement of same, entitled "The Life Of Andrew Jackson" (ISBN No. 0060937351), which gives even more detail and background than this "introductory" Jackson biography.By the time you read both of these, you'll be well ready to jump feet-first into Mr. Remini's classic multi-volume masterpiece and further indulge what will surely have become an even greater fascination with the Hero of New Orleans.

This may not be the most thorough of biographies but it is very good. Although Mr. Remini does seem to admire Andrew Jackson, he doesn't gloss over his failings: his treatment of the Cherokee Nation, his inability to see the need for some sort of central bank, his brutal treatment of just about everybody during the Indian wars. I felt the author's refering to Andrew Jackson as 'the hero' was done more for artistic flourish rather than concrete evaluation. The book is an easy read and Mr. Remini is an entertaining writer. He packs an amazing amount of information into the 200 pages of this book. I am looking forward to reading his three volume biography of Andrew Jackson.

This book is relatively short but, Remini does a great job of capturing the essence of Jackson. He was a figure who changed the course of the presedency, wielding greater executive power than did his predesessors and making participation in national affairs more accessable to the general populous. Andrew Jackson was a mass of contradictions. He was against centralized power in institutions such as the Second Bank of America, yet hed did much to consolidate power into the presidency. He was at times vulgar, engaging in several duels and, as a general. sometimes meting out harsh discipline yet, he had a courtly, dignified demeanor. As a general, Jackson was a brutal Indian fighter and as president, he was not much better. He wanted to resettle Indians on land that would be forever theirs but, he often forced these resettlements abruptly, killing thousands in deadly forced marches. History lovers who want to get a taste for "Jacksonian Democracy" will enjoy this book.

This book, "Andrew Jackson", is a short but highly readable book you need to start knowing the man as well as the president. We find he is the first self made man, that is he was born in poverty. The first "up by his own bootstraps" type whereas the first six presidents were born to the wealthy elite. More importantly he was the first westener, that is, at that time, the first president to represent people living west of the Appalachian Mountains. These, and many other factors, Mr Remini points out impacted on how Jackson's presidency differs from those before him. By streaching & expanding executive power he changed the federal government from a congressional dominated government to a presidential dominated government during his administration. He vetoed more bills than all his predescessors combined. Mr. Remini expands his studies in lengthier books such as "The Course of American Democracy" and "Andrew Jackson & the Bank Wars." But if your serious about studing United States history linger on the Jacksonian era and read this book first