The Age of Jackson

This abridged work leads with the perceptive quote of George Bancroft that typifies the question of Jacksonians and their antebellum age: "The feud between the capitalist and the laborer, the house of Have and the house of Want, is as old as social union, and can never be entirely quieted; but he who will act with moderation, prefer facts to theories, and remember that every thing in this world is relative and not absolute, will see that the violence of the contest may be stilled, if the unreasonable demands of personal interests are subjected to the decisions of even-handed justice....

George Bancroft, 1834"

Author Arthur Schlesinger Jr. distills the age of Jackson in the larger context of American history in his own sage summation as, show more "American history has been marked by recurrent swings of conservatism and liberalism. During the periods of inaction, unsolved social problems pile up till the demand for reform becomes overwhelming. Then a liberal government comes to power, the dam breaks and aflood of change sweeps away a great deal in a short time."

It seems the "party politics" so familiar now really root back to the rise of Jackson and the echoes of his administration, or more so the popular upswell that made it and Van Buren's possible. Schlesinger excellenty encapsulates this in the final chapter to this important work:

“The Jacksonian attitude presumes a perpetual tension in society, a doubtful equilibrium, constantly breeding strife and struggle: it is, in essence, a rejection of easy solutions, and for this reason it is not always popular. One of the strongest pressures toward the extremes, whether of socialism or of conservatism, is the security from conflict they are supposed to insure (ed. note a good example of this is outlined here in a review of a book by conservative theorist Russell Kirk). But one may wonder whether a society which eliminated struggle would possess much liberty (or even much stability). Freedom does not last long when bestowed above. It lasts only when it is arrived at competitively, out of the determination of groups which demand it as a general rule in order to increase the opportunities for themselves. To some the picture may not be consoling. But world without conflict is the world of fantasy; and practical attempts to realize society without conflict by confiding power to a single authority have generally resulted in producing a society where the means of suppressing conflict are rapid and efficient.

“‘Sometimes it is said that man can not be trusted with the government of himself,’ said Jefferson. ‘Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the forms of kings to govern him?’ ‘The unfortunate thing,’ adds Pascal, ‘is that he who would act the angel acts the brute.’ The great tradition of American liberalism regards man as neither brute nor angel.” show less

This book replaces a long section of American history left blank by all the school books I had. I had already read a bio of Jackson years ago, but this book is not about Jackson. It is about that blank period between the War of 1812 and the Civil War. It is primarily a political history of that era which was defined to a large extent by the rise of Andrew Jackson and the Democratic party. It is a hard read, about 10% of which is contained in the footnotes. Sheds a lot of light on how America got from an innocent, largely aristocratic republic to a popular (if not completely enfranchised) democracy ultimately driven into the Civil War.

Witness the progression of Democracy in the formative years of the United States. The era of the Founders is just about over. Some remnants still live and the attitude of the affluent minority tries to influence a government that is truly of the people. Jackson's struggle against Biddle is here in fine detail. The early secession movement of John C. Calhoun is established in Southern political beliefs. The growth westward... All these struggles are explored in wonderful detail, but not so detailed that the reader becomes bored. A terrific history book for the era.

Excellent first-rate work on the age of Jackson which is a classic. Jackson was a genuine reformer who defended the interests of the people against the bankers who sought to take advantage of them.

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 show more 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. show less

2103 The Age of Jackson, by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. (read 15 Oct 1987) (Book of the Year) (Pulitzer History prize in 1946) This is a great, great book, very well done. Really marvelous--it covers the period from 1828 till the Civil War. His thesis is that Jackson and Van Buren were liberal Democrats. Schlesinger did yeoman work on the period--one of my favorite periods in U.S. history. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time.

Compelling History of the Evolution of Conservative versus Working Class politics in the first half of the 19th century. Applies to our era as well.

Still the standard work on on the first irruption of populism in the U.S.