About book Andrew Jackson: His Life And Times (2006)
Andrew Jackson may be the most important American not yet exhumed in the rush to learn from the leading lights of our early history. If so, it makes sense that H.W. Brands is leading the charge toward his rediscovery. For one thing, Brands teaches at the University of Texas at Austin, in a state that might well be an independent republic if not for Jackson. For another, over the past decade Brands has proven himself a bloodhound with a nose for tracking down subjects ahead of the pack. There have been at least five biographies of Benjamin Franklin since he wrote his pathbreaking study, The First American, and his study of Theodore Roosevelt also coincided with a spurt in that cottage industry. In addition to presidents, Brands covers foreign policy, politics and the history of Texas -- an area of expertise nearly as broad as his home state.He has yet again sniffed out a fine topic. Jackson, after all, occupies a peculiar place in the Hall of Dead Presidents. We see him every day on the $20 bill and hear of him in the overused phrase "Jacksonian democracy," but we do not know him nearly as well as we do most of his predecessors or the great president who learned from him, Abraham Lincoln. There is no Jackson Memorial -- only an equestrian statue facing the White House, somewhat menacingly. He has no disciples in Congress. Neither of the two major cities named after him, Jackson and Jacksonville, is in his home state of Tennessee. His most audible legacy in the modern era may be the great Johnny Cash and June Carter song "Jackson," a spirited ode to divorce ("We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout/ We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out").If the fire has gone out for the seventh president, it is not hard to venture a few reasons. With his bloodstained résumé, Jackson fits awkwardly alongside our prim modern sensibilities. It is not difficult to condemn him before the bar of public opinion, especially academic opinion: He was a slave-owner, a brutal slayer of Native Americans and an unapologetic expansionist. His violent temper still frightens away the type of person often drawn to the historical profession.And yet to leave it at that is far too simplistic an approach to this primordial ancestor. It is not simply that Jackson's impact on American history was enormous; he was our greatest soldier after Washington, he vastly strengthened the executive branch, and he forcefully represented ordinary Americans who had not enjoyed much clout in Washington until his arrival. Even beyond that, he is simply in America's DNA. We see him everywhere, from the stony glare of Clint Eastwood to the tenacity of Lance Armstrong to the NFL coaches who scream that victory is only a matter of willpower. Americans as different as John McCain and Martin Luther King Jr. may be said to have inherited something from this paragon of self-discipline.Brands does not quite go as far as I just did, but this is nonetheless a most sympathetic portrait. (Fortunately, Brands has tenure.) From the start of the story, he writes in the hagiographic voice that biographies of great Americans used to be written in. And frankly, it's a great story, from Jackson's poverty and early scrapes with mortality to his violent encounters with British soldiers when he was a mere stripling to his impressive rise as a Tennessee politician, soldier and statesman. Brands is drawn toward the dramatic and serves up everything you might expect in a ripping yarn: murderous duels, savage Indian raids, equally savage counterattacks and a lot of detail about Jackson's scorched-earth campaigns in Louisiana and Florida. His gripping account of the battle of New Orleans, perhaps the greatest American victory ever, reveals Jackson as a defender of that city before whom even Hurricane Katrina might have trembled. Brands also has an eye for the arresting detail -- for example, Jackson's decision to adopt "a little Indian boy" after an especially violent campaign that had exterminated the child's tribe, or the fact that 200 black Haitians were fighting alongside the Americans at New Orleans.The heavy focus on blood and guts comes at a price, however. Brands's treatment of Old Hickory's political career is comparatively thin. Jackson doesn't assume the presidency until page 386, three-quarters of the way through the book, and the treatment of the great struggles of that era feels rushed. That's a shame, for Jackson's presidential achievement was more significant than his military career and set a crucial precedent for Lincoln and both Roosevelts. For a more subtle reading of Jackson as a political thinker ahead of his time, readers will have to consult Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.'s The Age of Jackson -- still electrifying 60 years after its appearance in 1945.Even though most readers will enjoy the nonacademic tone of Andrew Jackson, Brands would have deepened the book with a more detailed discussion of the crucial issue of slavery. A few perfunctory references to Jackson's slave-owning practices are not quite enough in an age when we have become very sophisticated at studying the peculiar institution. Henry Wiencek's excellent recent book on George Washington as a slave-owner, An Imperfect God, set a high standard, neither excoriating Washington nor quite letting him off the hook. Jackson's importance demands a similar level of unflinching scrutiny.Princeton's Sean Wilentz is about to release a short biography, and it would be good for America if these two books jumpstarted a new level of enlightened interest in Old Hickory. While reading this book, an academic friend criticized me for admiring Jackson, arguing that one can trace the militaristic tendencies of the current administration back to the seventh president. It is certainly true that the twin foundations of the Bush empire -- Florida and Texas -- are American because of Jackson's intervention. But I disagreed with the parallel, pointing out that Jackson's contempt for plutocrats, lobbyists and evangelicals would clearly make him persona non grata in today's Washington. It's an unfinished conversation -- exactly what history should be. One hopes that this book will inspire many more about an essential American who contributed as much as any founder to the national epic.
The Hero of New Orleans, Old Hickory, King Andrew — Andrew Jackson's varied sobriquets belie the daunting task for his potential biographers, and I think H.W. Brands managed to rise to the occasion. Jackson was most definitely a man who contained multitudes, and Brands manages to put it all out there without proselytising.It's much more difficult to evaluate Andrew Jackson the man than it is the book. Aside from the fact that his legend and legacy have come to represent an array of polarized positions, his actions were, if not contradictory, then at least somewhat confounding. It's hard to reconcile things like his adopting a young Native American boy, Lyncoya, with his presiding over The Trail of Tears. So, as per usual, I'll just offer some assorted points of interest along the Jackson journey. Jackson at War:One might say that Andrew Jackson was born to fight. At the ripe old age of thirteen, he joined up with the local militia to take part in the Revolutionary War as a courier. Young Jackson was willing to back up his anti-British beliefs with action. Taken prisoner by His Majesty's men, Jackson earned himself a taste of steel (or whatever swords were made out of back then) by refusing to polish the boots of an enemy officer. By the time the War of 1812 rolled around, Jackson was in command (first of the Tennessee militia, and then a bunch of other people too). This time, in addition to those nefarious Brits, Jackson and co. were also facing off with the Red Stick Creek Indians.* At this point, lessons had been learned when it came to underestimating the military savvy of the Native populations. The 1763 assault on British Fort Michilimackinac "the swiftness with which the Indians commenced their attacks and the brutality with which they completed them." The Brits were lulled into complacency when a large group of Ojibwas gathered outside the fort for a friendly game of lacrosse. Suddenly (in a move I can't believe they failed to reference in of Heart of Archness) the players swapped their lacrosse sticks for war axes hidden beneath the womens' skirts, and stormed the gate! General Jackson did not rule lightly. There's the whole suspension of habeas corpus thing, martial law in New Orleans, the list goes on. But, there's no denying that Jackson had a knack for military leadership. Jackson in Politics:Old Hickory was not a "qualified" politician in the normal sense of the word. Military rule was really more his speed. Not that dueling was unheard of at the time, but Jackson was super into it (Brands really breaks down the tactics involved), just one of many manifestations of his short temper and obsession with honor. The whole lack of experience thing, though, was spun in Jackson's favor as his being a man of the people. He played coy, essentially saying he wasn't running, but hey, if he's what the people wanted, then he would have to step up. So, with or without his consent (but not really), Andrew "I'm just like you" Jackson, was up against three other candidates in the election of 1824, including John Quincy Adams. If you're any good at reading pie charts, you've figured out that yes, in fact, Jackson won both the popular and electoral votes. However, he didn't have the majority required, and due to caucusing and some wheeling and dealing, JQA ended up in office. However, the election of 1828 (for better or worse) ushered in Jacksonian democracy by a landslide, and got good old Andy in office. The Bank Wars:I know I'm skipping a lot of interesting and important bits (like that whole slavery thing), but since Jackson's beef with big banking was new to me, I'm highlighting it here. In fact, as with most things at the time, the slavery question played a big part in Jackson's anti-bank stance. Quick and dirty version, Jackson busted out all sorts of novel tools (like the veto) to keep paper currency from taking hold. The political "spin" on it all was pitting the common man (farmers, laborers etc.), against the monied elite. ...and also other stuff:Just trying to summarize some of my favorite bits from the book, I'm all the more impressed with how adeptly Brands weaves so much material into a single volume. I didn't come away from this a fan of Jackson, per se, but that's not an opinion that is necessarily born from this work. I definitely plan to check out the likes of American Lion because, if anything, this book is short on Jackson's White House years. ____________________________________________ * I know they weren't actually from India, and, thus, not Indians, but I'm forgoing political correctness for clarity here (as does Brands in this case, so you can blame him)
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Brands is an eminently readable historian. This is my third book of his, and reading each has been time well spent. Jackson strikes me as one of our 10 or so most significant presidents, if one of the two most frightening (TR being the other in the pair). Jackson was our first true Democrat and democrat, and a strong Unionist whose blue print for succession suppression was obviously well-known to Abe Lincoln. I've frequently called Jackson a mean old bastard for his policy and treatment of native Americans. Even though his policies were disastrous for the Indians, Brands fairly presents Jackson's justifications of his and U.S. policy, which taken at face-value was conceivably well-intended even if patently self-serving. Jackson didn't seem to have any personal animus against Native Americans--he fostered/adopted an orphaned Creek child--but he caused untold suffering for them. Good reminder that political arguments have consequences and outright rejection of bad ideas with good intentions is often far better than trying to compromise.
—Matt
This biography of General Andrew Jackson is a stunning masterpiece. The depth Mr. Brands takes in this biography and the detail he uses to portray the General is fabulous!General Jackson is the only early Presidents to be ranked with General Washington in the esteem of his country men. Mr. Brands shows this, and also the Generals firery temper. His love for his wife Rachel Jackson, their controversial marriage (which is still shrowded in mystery to this day) her death and the people he blamed.It is a good read and very entertaining. Almost like a novel in history but a great biography. I myself could not put it down!!!
—Kyle Slavetsky
http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2013/...“Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times” is H.W. Brands’s 2005 biography of our seventh president. Brands is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and a prolific author. He has written nearly thirty books on a wide range of historical topics, including biographies of Ulysses Grant, Theodore Roosevelt and Aaron Burr. He is also the author of one of my favorite non-biography history books: “Lone Star Nation: The Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence.”Although I find myself somewhat disappointed by this biography of Jackson, it is certainly not without merit. Indeed, Brands’s biography is a solid, steady exploration of Jackson’s life and its many contradictions and crescendos. However, after reading several earlier biographies of this president, I’m not sure what new insight or analysis Brands offers and, as a result, why a reader new to this president should choose Brands’s biography over others.To its credit, Brands’s biography does a much better job than most biographies in providing the reader with a broad, relevant historical framework within which to place Jackson and his actions. Where other biographies assume the audience is aware (by whatever means) of the events of importance taking place in the nation’s capital while Jackson is roaming the frontier, Brands never leaves such knowledge to chance. Instead, he is careful to ensure the reader is cognizant of important moments in our nation’s history that impacted the political and economic climate in which Jackson operated.In addition, Brands’s quest to add context to his discussion of Jackson’s life also leads to his inclusion of a number of topics (and characters) I have not read about in previous presidential biographies. Among these are useful snippets regarding Alexis de Tocqueville’s trip to America, a tactical analysis of “dueling” which was a favored form of dispute resolution in Jackson’s early life, a helpful explanation of the issues surrounding British impressment of American sailors and colorful descriptions of Davy Crockett, Sam Houston and Jean Lafitte (each of whom, the reader quickly agrees, deserve vibrant and spirited introductions).However, for all I liked about Brands’s biography, I found it far from ideal. First, given his propensity for describing lesser-known historical figures thoroughly in vivid language, he is surprisingly deficient in his introduction of more critical characters such as Martin Van Buren (the “Little Magician”) who was to Andrew Jackson much as Karl Rove was to George Bush. Other lesser-known, but equally critical, players are left poorly introduced as well such as Amos Kendall and Francis Blair, who formed the core of Jackson’s “Kitchen Cabinet” and were each tremendously important to the story of Jackson’s presidency.Second, certain historical events are less well-covered than seems appropriate, such as Jackson’s decision to replace nearly his entire initial Cabinet (causing no small degree of controversy within the Senate) as well as the presidential campaigns of 1824 and 1828. Brands’ treatment of the former feels needlessly rushed – almost perfunctory – while his description of the latter seems woefully incomplete with almost no attention dedicated to Van Buren’s masterful behind-the-scenes advocacy of Jackson’s candidacy.Stylistically I tend to enjoy a more smoothly-flowing, narrative style of writing than that which Brands offers in his “Andrew Jackson.” This biography often seems like a collection of detailed, highly factual (but not particularly opinionated) newspaper articles; they are individually informative, but collectively lack a seamless, cohesive story or theme. In fact, while reading Brands’s biography, a new student of Jackson might actually be unaware of the overwhelming historical significance of Jackson’s presidency and his numerous accomplishments.Brands seems to prefer for the facts speak for themselves, but at the cost of allowing a less-attentive reader to miss the forest for the trees. If you are not a sophisticated student of history or had not previously read Remini or Marquis James, you might inadvertently miss the awe-inspiring significance of Jackson’s expansion of the power of the presidency (made even more dramatic by his previous distaste for a strong federal government). And unlike most other Jackson biographers, Brands does not take Jackson to task for being a slaveowner or for his brutal treatment of the Indians.Finally, Brands’s most thoughtful impressions and perspectives of Jackson are left to the last six or eight pages of the book. These are easily the most valuable pages of his biography, and are among the most insightful pages of any of the presidential biographies I’ve yet read. But the wisdom they impart comes too late to appropriately augment the wisdom contained in the previous five-hundred-plus pages. Even a measured sprinkling of this insight across the previous chapters of the book would have been incredibly useful.Overall, H.W. Brands’s “Andrew Jackson” is a good, but not great, biography of Andrew Jackson. His writing style, failure to highlight important themes throughout the book and a few curious omissions are contributing factors. Subjectively, the most disappointing issue for me was the fact that I rarely found moments when I simply could not put the book down. Although Brands’s biography is detailed, workman-like and free of bias, for me it does not provide enough analysis or insight, and its emphasis seems to be on presenting topics accurately rather than with passion and interpretation.Overall rating: 3½ stars
—Steve
