Biography of the presidential term of Andrew Jackson. A little background information is presented, and well as a little about his life after leaving the White House, but primarily focuses only on his White House years. Jackson is portrayed as feeling empowered by the will of the common people to lead the country. He is the man credited with increasing the authority of the office of president, using the veto power to impose his will on the legislature as never before.

The account spends an inordinate amount of time examining the squabble among the women in Washington concerning the wife of his secretary of the army - the so-called Petticoat Affair. It spends a lot of time on Jackson's campaign to defeat the Bank of the US in its bid for re-certification without adequately explaining why he was opposed to its existence. Also highlighted here is the nullification issue - a big piece in the states' rights argument that led to the civil war. In fact, during Jackson's administration in the 1830's, many in the country believed that civil war was imminent. One of Jackson's accomplishments in office was to neutralize some of the hostilities, postponing the war for more than 20 years.

Like anyone else, Jackson was neither all good nor all bad. He was a slave owner who never freed any of his slaves. He was also behind the forced removal of the Indian nations from the southern states, the "Trail of Tears". Yet, he honestly believed he had the best interests of the union at heart. He saw himself as a father figure to the common people of America.

Biographies are not my favorite reading. I generally find them tedious. This one was no exception. I feel better acquainted with President Andrew Jackson than before, but don't have a full appreciation for the man and his personal and military accomplishments outside of Washington. Nor do I feel like I have a better understanding of most of the issues facing the nation during that time. Of course considering that the subtitle is "Andrew Jackson in the White House", I guess those points are beyond the scope of this book. ( )

Jon Meacham packs a lot into his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Andrew Jackson. Focusing on Jackson's time in the White House, Meacham rushes through Jackson's childhood and early years, including the 1814 Battle of New Orleans that ended the War of 1812 against the British and propelled Jackson to national fame.

But he takes his time with Jackson's years as America's seventh President, describing in readable but thorough detail the major issues and controversies of Jackson's two terms in office. Key among these were the 'nullification' issue that threatened to destroy the Union and Jackson's campaign against the Bank of America. Meacham does a good job of explaining not just what happened, but the significance of the debates.

Meacham also puts Jackson and his battles into personal and national context by examining the political and philosophical condition of the adolescent United States as well as how personal feelings, events, and tragedy affected Jackson's judgment.

Jackson had deep flaws, especially viewed from the current perspective. Chief among his flaws was his lifelong support of slavery, despite his lifelong commitment to freedom and liberty. Meacham analyzes Jackson's contradictions and presents a complete portrait of this fascinating man. ( )

Meacham's book should be compared to one of the standard references to Jackson, i.e., Schlesinger's important work, The Age of Jackson. There is no question that Meacham has written a very readable and lively account of Jackson, the person, and highlights Andrew's life throughout. Less sure-footed though in Meacham is where Schlesinger excels, Jackson as the exemplar of his age. The Bank War is not as prominent a feature in Meacham as it is in Schlesinger, and more emphasis is placed by Meacham in the political incorrectness of Jackson. The contrast and value between the two will rest therefore on where the reader's sympathies lie most, in the culture wars or in the importance of Jackson for demonstrating how the little man, the small farmer, and the rural non-elite may prosper in Jacksonian America. Of the two, I would tip a hat towards Schlesinger though Meacham is well worth reading.

In the history of American politics, most, if not all presidents have been men adept at polarizing the citizens of the nation. Many were men who were either loved or hated, with little ground in between the two extremes. In American Lion, Jon Meacham details the presidential life of one such man – Andrew Jackson. Touching on his pre-presidential life only briefly, Meacham details the 8 years Jackson spent in the White House, relying “in part on previously unavailable documents.” Meacham is careful to point out in his acknowledgements that “this book is not an academic study of [Jackson’s] presidency.” (p.363)

The book spends a great deal of time on three issues of Jackson’s presidency: the political and societal hubbub surrounding Jackson’s choice for Secretary of War, John Eaton – or more appropriately, surrounding his wife, Margaret; his opposition to the Second Bank of the United States; and his fight against nullification, or what Jackson called “the mad project of disunion.” The coverage of the first, often dubbed the “Petticoat Affair,” seemed to drag on after awhile and made me feel like I was reading the 19th century version of the celebrity tabloids.

Jackson viewed himself (as president) as the people’s representative, sometimes to the point of a quasi-dictatorial aura. He was an incredibly strong willed individual who used his power and influence over family, friends and enemies alike to get what he wanted. Meacham’s descriptions of this aspect of Jackson, however, seem almost to excuse his actions. Meacham also focused on the fact that Jackson expanded the powers of the president exponentially above any of his six predecessors, particularly through the use of the presidential veto.

Although the book is specifically about his presidential life (thus the subtitle Andrew Jackson in the White House), I wish it had covered a little more of the background of how exactly Jackson got to the White House. Additionally, Meacham uses a writing style that follows a chronological approach and as a result, feels incredibly cumbersome and disjointed. One section of a chapter will be discussing a particular issue, only to have the next paragraph jump to completely unrelated one without warning and then back to the first just as suddenly.

While the three subjects mentioned above received extensive coverage, Jackson’s policies and dealings with Native Americans gets comparatively little coverage. Considering that this topic is perhaps one most associated with Jackson’s presidency, I was surprised and disappointed that Meacham did not spend more time on the topic. Even though Meacham’s disclaimer of the book not being “an academic study of [Jackson’s] presidency” gives him some excuse for not spending more time on this issue, I expected a book of this size and renown to have more coverage than it did, especially considering the attention given to the Eaton affair.

Overall, American Lion is a good introduction to Jackson’s presidency. While lacking in details such as his earlier life and rise into politics, it gave some good insights into how Jackson expanded the power of the president. ( )

Andrew Jackson is one of those Americans who will always interest the succeeding generations. His mark on our history is indelible. But there's more to the man the myth that stems from the Battle of New Orleans and the battle over the National Bank. Meacham addresses the human side of Jackson in a very approachable style.