Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times
by H.W. Brands
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Book Summary Information
Author: H.W. BrandsEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2005-10-04
ISBN: 0385507380
Number of pages: 640
Publisher: Doubleday
Book Reviews of Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times
Book Review: Pretty good, 3 1/2 stars
Summary: 3 Stars
I had such high hopes for this book after reading the reviews and knowing of Brands' reputation. Now that I'm done, I'm glad I read it, but I'm kind of disappointed in some ways. Let's just say that the subtitle of this book is very important: "His Life and Times." Brands' focus was often too much about "and Times."
I wanted a definitive, one-volume biography of Jackson, one of the most interesting men in our history. What I got was a book that spent way, way too much time on issues like the history of Indians in North America, the framing of the constitution, Spanish involvement in Florida, etc. I know all of those pertain to Jackson, but they could have been summarized much more succinctly. At times I simply got bored.
Then Brands zipped through Jackson's presidency like he had to hurry up and finish the book in a limited number of pages. Jackson's was one of the most influential presidencies in U.S. history, and it took up about a quarter of this book. I wish Brands had consolidated the pre-presidency period and expanded the White House years.
That said, once Brands reached about 1824, the book's pace picks up dramatically, and I can certainly say that his portrayal of the human being was solid. I feel now like I have a good handle on Jackson the man. If about 40 pages had been added to the years of Jackson's presidency and subtracted from the state of the country throughout the different stages of Jackson's life, I would have loved the book.
Summary of Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times
The extraordinary story of Andrew Jackson-the colorful, dynamic, and forceful president who ushered in the Age of Democracy and set a still young America on its path to greatness-told by the bestselling author of The First American.The most famous American of his time, Andrew Jackson is a seminal figure in American history. The first "common man" to rise to the presidency, Jackson embodied the spirit and the vision of the emerging American nation; the term "Jacksonian democracy" is embedded in our national lexicon.
With the sweep, passion, and attention to detail that made The First American a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a national bestseller, historian H.W. Brands shapes a historical narrative that's as fast-paced and compelling as the best fiction. He follows Andrew Jackson from his days as rebellious youth, risking execution to free the Carolinas of the British during the Revolutionary War, to his years as a young lawyer and congressman from the newly settled frontier state of Tennessee. As general of the Tennessee militia, he put down a massive Indian uprising in the South, securing the safety of American settlers, and his famous rout of the British at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 made him a national hero.
But it is Jackson's contributions as president, however, that won him a place in the pantheon of America's greatest leaders. A man of the people, without formal education or the family lineage of the Founding Fathers, he sought as president to make the country a genuine democracy, governed by and for the people. Jackson, although respectful of states' rights, devoted himself to the preservation of the Union, whose future in that age was still very much in question. When South Carolina, his home state, threatened to secede over the issue of slavery, Jackson promised to march down with 100,000 federal soldiers should it dare.
In the bestselling tradition of Founding Brothers and His Excellency by Joseph Ellis and of John Adams by David McCullough, Andrew Jackson is the first single-volume, full-length biography of Jackson in decades. This magisterial portrait of one of our greatest leaders promises to reshape our understanding of both the man and his era and is sure to be greeted with enthusiasm and acclaim.
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