Andrew Jackson's America: 1824-1850

In the opening chapter of "Andrew Jackson's America: 1824-1850," Christopher & James Lincoln Collier drive home the difference between Jackson and George Washington by pointing out that Jackson prided himself on being a "man of the people," while the aristocratic Washington would have been insulted by the idea. However, as the first painting of Jackson in this volume clearly shows, no one could look more imperial than Andy By-God Jackson. This ninth volume in excellent series The Drama of American History focuses more on the Age of Jackson rather than just the two terms Jackson served in the White House. After all, Jackson was a major political figure before that time; in fact, he was the first candidate to win three consecutive popular votes for the Presidency. This volume covers the Age of Jackson in seven chapters: (1) A Man for an Age previews Jackson's impact on American History and how he is clearly one of those figures that who validates the Great Man theory of history. However, while Jackson serves as the defining figure of his time, he is not the focus of most of these chapters; (2) The Industrial Revolution Comes to America looks at the social and economic transformation of the nation that happened during this period; (3) The New Transportation System covers the importance of being able to move people and things from one place to another by canal and railroad; (4) The Rise of the Market Economy looks at the creation of the "blue collar" and "white collar" class system that originated at this time. Jackson's personal impact on the nation's history highlights the next couple of chapters: (5) The Beginning of the Two-Party Political System erupted after the "Era of Good Feelings" that defined the administration of James Monroe. The bitterly contested election of 1824 between the National Republicans of John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay and the Democratic Republicans of Jackson gave birth to the political division that continues to plague us today; (6) Andrew Jackson and the Modern Presidency looks at not only how he played an important role in creating the national Democratic Party, but how his political philosophy of believing in a strong president while not believing in a strong government can best be seen in the public argument over the national bank; and (7) Pushing the Indians Back Again details Jackson's policy of moving the native tribes west to allow white expansion. This chapter has a map that pinpoints 68 major Indian battles between 1829 and 1866 and certainly the Colliers provide a contemporary perspective on the Age of Jackson by ending it with the shame of the Trail of Tears. The chief value of The Drama of American History series is how the Colliers establish what they call the "central core" of the subject under discussion. "Andrew Jackson's America" shows how the nation changed during this quarter-century and what hand Jackson hand in the nation's peculiar evolution at that point. The volume is illustrated with histori