Recently completed "American Lion" which covered Andrew Jackson's years in the White House.
I have to admit that while I have long been a fan of American History I have neglected the Jacksonian era...This book covers a multitude of sins in that department. An excellent book, and an even better read.
Particularly interesting was the insight into Jackson's actions in regards to Indian removal ("Trail of Tears") and dealings with the National Bank.
The broad brush charactizations of purely racial motivations as taught to all of us in school come under fire when you discover Jackson's complexity as a whole and not the slanted villan some would make him.
In regards to his battle with the National Bank, see todays headlines...Start with Calvin Coolidge and work your way back to Washington and every president would have pains, anxiety, and eventual heart attacks over what our government is doing today. Jackson's evil empire wasn't the Soviet Union, he viewed it as being the National Bank which had the power to build and destroy at its own pleasure and felt answerable to nobody...kinda sorta like our government in total today...
Read the book...
Sounds interesting, Joe what is your take on 19th century Amerian polciy on Indian Removal and does the book discuss Worcester vs. State of georgia? What are your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly it does discuss Worcester...and my thoughts were always, always, always, the view of a 2oth century armchair looking back...The Trail of Tears was disgusting and awful...Jackson and those that were in favor of it were the devil...
ReplyDelete...And from this point in history I still look at it in almost the same light...
...but from Jackson's point of view...as a young man growing up on the frontier during the revolutionary period he was witness to brutal Indian attacks paid for by the British (just like the French did in the Seven Years War)...and the book touches on the concept of a country within a country and the fear...going back to the 1770's...of possible uprisings encouraged by foreign powers...
The book doesn't defend Jackson as being right in this...but illustrated the fear at the time...it would have been interesting if a President had been in office during this period that was a little younger...who may not have been as old as Jackson...It would have been interesting to see if John Quincy Adams a New Englander...and without Jackson's experiences how he would have handled it if he had one re-election in 1828...So many issues, even if they are troubling, are very complex...I find it consuming...
Sorry it took me a while to answer this post...I'm just glad somebody is clicking...have a great day...