What Meacham examines, however, he examines well and in compelling fashion. And, for a book that purports to examine Andrew Jackson’s presidential years, a surprisingly small number of major developments are investigated at any length. Secondly, the book focuses so tightly on a small cast of characters (Jackson’s family and the Eatons primarily) that when Meacham does attempt to discuss broader issues such as the Nullification Crisis and the bank controversy, the examinations at points seem lacking some broader context and informed by too few voices. While this is admittedly exactly what the author intended to do, I feel that at times Jackson is intermittently lost in the narrative. For one thing, it is not really as much a biography of Andrew Jackson as an examination of the turmoils and jealousies that shaped his inner circle, and therefore, the political climate of the nation. The book was not without some shortcomings in my opinion, however.

Meacham ultimately convincingly asserts that Jackson is a central character in American history on several levels: 1) because of the precedents he set regarding expanding the power of the executive as the nation’s leader and his influence over many of the presidents that have followed him, 2) because of his essential “Americanness” and the fact that Jackson, for better or worse, represented the embodiment of the American character of his age, 3) because of his vision of the role of “the people” in American politics, and 4) because of his sheer force of will and incredible patriotism that almost single-handedly shaped an era. I liked the narrative flow and style, the examination of some intricate details of social life in the White House that shaped Jackson’s presidency, and especially appreciated the broad context in which the author places Jackson in American history. There were both things I liked and things I thought could have been better about the book. The book was engrossing and, despite its formidable length, dramatically written as an unfolding story.

Recently, I listened to Jon Meacham’s examination of the presidency of Andrew Jackson, entitled American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House. My job requires me to be on the road a lot, and I occasionally take advantage of this time to listen to an audiobook.

Andrew jackson meacham