Andrew Jackson: The Course of American Empire, 1767-1821. Vol. 1

Andrew Jackson #1

by Robert V. Remini

Available in paperback for the first time, these three volumes represent the definitive biography of Andrew Jackson. Volume One covers the role Jackson played in America's territorial expansion, bringing to life a complex character who has often been seen simply as a rough-hewn country general. Volume Two traces Jackson's senatorial career, his presidential campaigns, and his first administration as President. Volume Three covers Jackson's reelection to the presidency and the weighty issues with which he was the nullification crisis, the tragic removal of the Indians beyond the Mississippi River, the mounting violence throughout the country over slavery, and the tortuous efforts to win the annexation of Texas.

Genres: Biography, History, American History, Presidents, Nonfiction, Us Presidents, American

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esteemed as it is, I was a little wary about committing to this trilogy on Andrew Jackson written some 40 years ago, considering how Jackson has been recontextualized and often villainized since then. But despite a sometimes stiffer writing style as compared to more modern works, and some dated language ("red men" appears a lot - used in the context of the times, but still), I found that book #1 holds up fairly well and certainly provides more thorough coverage than any single-volume biography possibly can.

Remini admires Jackson but doesn't hesitate to criticize him. He wasn't the greatest military strategist, for example, he could let his temper get the best of him, and in one of the harshest critiques Remini offers, Jackson could be "high-strung, opinionated and proud" and "readily violated rules and defied superiors when provoked by a prick to his vanity or pride."

Other times, Remini tempers his criticism - Jackson was not a racist who hated Indians, he argues, but paternalistic toward them and somewhat manipulative in doing what he thought was best for them, which also happened to be what was best for white settlers. There is not, meanwhile, a whole lot of analysis about Jackson's attitudes toward slavery - he is just matter-of-factly described as a slaveowner and a product of his time and place.

For the most part, though, Remini steers clear of psychoanalysis and passing judgment, and describes events as they happen, at the detailed and leisurely pace that a three-part series allows. Events like Jackson's imprisonment during the Revolutionary War, which are briefly described in other biographies, are covered here very thoroughly, as are his infamous duel, the Creek War and the Battle of New Orleans. On the question of whether Jackson's wife was divorced before she and Jackson married - and whether or not they knew of her marital status when they went ahead and got married anyway - Remini weighs all of the evidence and provides very thorough coverage.

Other sections can get a little plodding, such as a detailed description of the creation of the Tennessee territorial government, and Jackson's brief tenure as Florida governor. But in all, the book provides an excellent overview of Jackson's rise to prominence, and gives you a good sense of how, for better or worse, he was among those most responsible for the territorial expansion of the country. I'm enjoying the deep dive, and am looking forward to book #2.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2013/...

“Andrew Jackson: The Course of American Empire (1767-1821)” is the first of three volumes in Robert Remini’s series on Andrew Jackson. This first volume was published in 1977 and the series was completed seven years later. Although highly regarded, the series does not seem widely read. Remini’s 1988 single-volume abridgment of the series, however, remains quite popular despite the publication of more recent biographies of Jackson.

Remini was a historian and professor at the University of Illinois and authored several biographies during his forty-year literary career (of John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay and Martin Van Buren, among other notable figures). However, he was best known for his exhaustive study of Andrew Jackson. Remini died earlier this year at the age of 91.

This initial volume of Remini’s series focuses on the first fifty-four years of Jackson’s life – from his youth through his service as governor of the new territory of Florida. This swath of his life also encompasses his service in the American Revolution, his work as a lawyer and frontier prosecutor, his representation of Tennessee in Congress, his time spent as a judge and his extensive – and highly conspicuous – service as a military leader.

Remini’s first volume provides spectacular insight into Jackson’s turbulent, tempestuous and wonderfully colorful personality. Superbly described is Jackson’s rise from an unrefined but intuitive frontiersman to a budding local politician and, finally, to a respected and successful (and frequently abrasive) Major General. Jackson’s numerous military campaigns (variously against the Indians, the British and the Spanish) are very well detailed and almost beg to form the basis for a movie script.

Although Remini clearly admires Andrew Jackson, he frequently calls out “Old Hickory” for his unrestrained behavior and his treatment of Indians. And despite Jackson’s notable military victories (particularly at the Battle of New Orleans) Remini often criticizes failures in General Jackson’s tactics or oversight. But despite this balance, Remini fails to hold Jackson accountable for his views on slavery – a not uncommon feature of most biographies of early American presidents.

Overall, the first of Robert Remini’s three volumes on Andrew Jackson is captivating, marvelously humanizing and remarkably penetrating. It quickly exudes the feeling of a David McCullough narrative combined with a Joseph Ellis character analysis, and Andrew Jackson seems a perfect choice to play the starring role in a thrilling biography. Imbued with an ideal balance of fact, analysis and opinion, and appropriately comprehensive in scope, “Andrew Jackson: The Course of American Empire” is a perfect start to what I hope is a consistently excellent series on Andrew Jackson.

Overall rating: 4½ stars

[Rick Rapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in school, Jackson was treated as a hero in history books. Over the years, more unflattering facts have come to light about him, his vindictiveness, and his deplorable treatment of the Indians of the Southeast. I read this book in a hope to find a more balanced account of the man, the myth, and the legend. Unfortunately, all the facts presented by Remini only prove what a tyrant he was. Evidently, his charisma carried him a long way, for his battles (both military and personal) were often won by sheer luck and bullying more than real skill or planning. One positive thing I can take from this book is that our country survived the likes of this poorly educated and wildly uncontrollable individual. That gives me a little hope in the face of current affairs.

[Aaron Million · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remini's first volume (three total) follows Jackson from his birth in South Carolina through the year 1821 when he resigned the Governorship of the Florida Territory. Throughout the book, Jackson's volatile, combustible temper is on display: challenging men to duels, lusting after military glory (as well as another man's wife), openly fighting with multiple Presidents and other Washington heavyweights, and being incredibly vindictive towards almost all Indians and anyone who disagreed with him about anything. The latter two classes he considered to be his enemies.

Jackson had a difficult childhood - his father dying before he was born. He was abused as a young boy by the British during the Revolutionary War; his mother died when he was in his early teens, and his brothers perished as well at the hands of the British. He drifted west, eventually settling in Nashville. Incredibly, with very little education, he was able to establish a fairly successful legal practice. Jackson was nothing if not tenacious in whatever he endeavored to do.

Remini chronicles Jackson's romance and "marriage" to Emily Robards. He may or may not have known that she was still married to her first husband. Remini ultimately believes that, if Jackson truly did not know that she was not divorced, being a lawyer he certainly should have known.

Jackson was ruthless and cold-blooded. He killed a man, Charles Livingston, in a duel and didn't give it a second thought. He was violent and out of control - hungering for a military command and, once he finally got one, proceeding to wage war against the British, Indians, and the Spanish. Jackson was bent on seizing Florida, and he ultimately succeeded in doing so. He was demanding, yet fair, to his troops and proved himself many times over during his successful campaign at New Orleans during the War of 1812, and later in the Indian Wars.

Remini's portrayal of Jackson is fairly balanced and swift-moving: he points out his admirable qualities and also the many despicable behaviors that Jackson engaged in. In general, Remini seems to be slightly pro-Jackson as he dances around Jackson owning slaves - preferring to place Jackson in the context of his times. While there is merit to this approach, Jackson needs to be taken to task for owning slaves, forcibly relocating Indian tribes and purposely destroying their villages, hanging Arbuthnot and Ambrister when he had no authority to do so, being borderline insubordinate to Presidents Madison and Monroe, and holding grudges over petty grievances. As Thomas Jefferson said in describing Jackson: "He is a very dangerous man."

Grade: B+

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert V. Remini's Andrew Jackson: The Course of American Empire is the first in his three-volume series on Old Hickory, covering his life from birth through his military career and time as Governor of Florida in 1821. Like all of Remini's work it's elegantly written and evocative in depicting the swirl, tumult and outsized personalities of early American politics, when the country's survival was hardly guaranteed and political divisions often resulted in duels, murders and other outrages. Yet Remini clearly struggles with his protagonist: as much as he wants to laud Jackson, he finds it hard to square his admiration with the less-than-appealing figure that emerges. Young Jackson wasn't much better than President Jackson, by modern standards, from his browbeating and butchering the Creek Indians to his unauthorized invasion of Spanish Florida, tertiary involvement in assorted filibustering schemes and his heavy-handed military rule over New Orleans. Whatever one may think of Jackson, Remini succeeds in showing his importance in solidifying, and ensuring America's emergence as an expansionist empire.

[Andrea Ole · Rating 3 out of 5]

President Andrew Jackson has come up in the news recently, as the Trump administration has postponed the removal of his portrait from the $20 dollar bill, and Trump has voiced support and admiration for Jackson.

Having only superficial knowledge that President Jackson fought duels, led Americans in fighting the British in New Orleans during the War of 1812 (there is a film I recall seeing on this topic), and most notoriously of all that he was responsible for removal of American Indians from the South (The Trail of Tears), I decided to learn more about him in Robert Remini's Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Empire 1767-1821.
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First, despite all his deep flaws, most notably a zealous faith in Manifest Destiny, the imperialist notion that the purportedly advanced civilization of white American men had the God-given right and mission to settle the American West, ie, territory west of the Appalachian Mountains, seizing hold of American Indian territory and destroying these "savages" if they resisted, Jackson was also for over a decade in his twenties and into his thirties, a public servant, serving as lawyer and judge in the territory and then state of Tennessee, briefly a representative and senator of Tennessee, as well as a leader of the militia in Tennessee. Trump in contrast, who professes admiration for Jackson, never served in public office until elected President, since it really is not all that profitable.

Jackson also served as a general in the successful defense of New Orleans from a large-scale British invasion. And this role, more a matter of improbable good fortune rather than of strategic insight and know how, for Jackson had minimal combat experience with the Tennessee militia, is what propelled Jackson into the national spotlight and fame, and helped him gain the name recognition and popularity that would enable him to run and win a presidential election.

Trump's path to national celebrity status was a television show, the Apprentice, whose success as a show went to Trump's head and made him believe in himself again as a successful business man, though he had been such a spectacular failure with so many bankruptcies that American banks by 2000 stopped lending to him. In one tax year, Trump in fact led all Americans in terms of declared business loss income!

Well, enough of this line of argument. Let me just note that Trump will go down in history as worst U.S. president ever, and he cannot even begin to compare himself to Jackson. Presumably Trump also believes Jackson helped make America "great," and if that involved slavery, genocide, greedy land grabbing and speculation, so be it, and so his portrait should remain on the $20 bill. But I believe, as I would hope a majority of Americans believe (Trump's loyal base is perhaps 1/3 of this country) that President Jackson's portrait should be removed from $20 bill and replaced by Harriet Tubman. For our current and future nation is one that practices an ideal of inclusion of different people and groups, not exclusion and a hierarchy between free man and slave, man and woman, civilized man versus "savage," American born versus immigrant, white versus person of color.

To be sure, Remini makes it clear that Jackson was a man of his time, and beholden to what we now condemn and criticize as its worst excesses -- empire building. Jackson was inspired by a vision of American territorial expansion in the name of a purportedly God-given and civilizing mission to build empire, justifying conquest and ethnic cleansing of "savages" and relying on slave labor of African Americans to build wealth.

I give this biography three stars, because the historian Robert Remini, whose first volume of his three volume biography of Jackson, was published in 1977, too often blunts the critique of his subject's imperialist sensibility. The tides of historic re-assessment of the American past were shifting in the 1960s and 1970s, but they had not done so fully, and this book attests to this fact, as Remini alternates between sharp criticism of Jackson's imperialism, but alternates and follows it up with praise of other aspects of his character. Though most Americans believed in Manifest Destiny, not all politicians and men in power were as fervent in pursuing it as Jackson.

Also, another criticism I had of Remini's book is that I had difficulty following some parts of his book, like his discussion and analysis of Jackson's involvement in land speculation in Western territory as a young man, which put him in debt and made him miserable for years as he strove to escape from it, which he eventually did, and all the causes that led up to the failure of the British to successfully invade New Orleans.

Another issue I had was that I would have liked Remini to provide more context about such topics as the War of 1812, about the culture of dueling in America, and about the landscape in American politics from the 1790s to the 1820s.

Still, I should say I am enjoying reading this political biography, which I am close to finishing, with its wealth of detail about this singularly and tenaciously determined man, Jackson, who would stop at nothing in seeing through his plans and ambitions in local and then national politics. I learned about what now seem such strange facts that prior to a duel, the parties involved would publish what amounted to insulting challenges to their rivals' reputation in local newspapers.

[RYD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know very much about Andrew Jackson before reading this book, the first in a series of three by Robert Remini on his life. It certainly demonstrates Jackson's contribution to the expansion of America, and also gives a good sense of his impervious character. I was struck particularly by Jackson's willingness to ignore laws and treaties that went against his wishes, despite being a lawyer and onetime Tennessee Supreme Court justice.

I feel there's a clear dividing line among those who study early American history: those who root for the settlers and those who root for the Indians. I inevitably find myself in the second camp, which makes Jackson's legacy a difficult one for me to appreciate, given his contempt for natives and their claims to their own lands.

Here was one passage I highlighted, about the Creek War:

"On the morning of November 3, 1813, a thousand men encircled Tallushatchee and systematically slaughtered most of its warriors. It was a massacre. 'We shot them like dogs,' attested Davy Crockett.

"So horrible was the killing that Lieutenant Richard Keith Call became almost physically ill. 'We found as many as eight or ten dead bodies in a single cabin,' he wrote. 'Some of the cabins had taken fire, and half consumed human bodies were seen amidst the smoking ruins. In other instances dogs had torn and feasted on the mangled bodies of their masters. Heart sick I turned from the revolting scene.'"

[Jerry Landry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remini certainly shows a bias towards his subject at times, but overall, this biography is filled with helpful details about Jackson's life and early career.

[Phil Atteberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I asked an acquaintance of mine (a history professor with a specialty in early 19th century American history) to recommend one book on Andrew Jackson. She ignored my stipulation and recommended Robert Remini's three volume biography of Jackson. "Then," she said, "read Jon Meacham's recent biography, American Lion." I did not have the heart to tell her I don't care enough to put forth that much effort.

However, I did read volume one of Robert Remini's biography, Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Empire 1767-1821. I enjoyed it. It is an academic biography but accessibly written for the general reader.

Initially, the book's title confused me. When I think of "empire," I think of foreign territories. However, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, that's what the south and southwestern United States was--territories owned and/or controlled by the French, Spanish or English, and, of course, the "Indians." This book details how the United States came to possess those territories and Andrew Jackson's central role in the process.

Before reading this book, I knew almost nothing about the War of 1812 or the Battle of New Orleans. This book provides description, explanation and interesting analysis--and colorful character sketches of the people involved.

Of course Andrew Jackson is at the center of the book. Jackson's reputation has taken a serious nose dive in the last half century, but Remini presents him in somewhat favorable terms. The key word is "somewhat." Remini does not gloss over Jackson's bad temper, his narcissism or his cruelty toward Native Americans ("savages" to Jackson's generation). But Remini looks at Jackson through a 19th century lens and assesses him according to 19th century rather than late 20th and early 21st century values and sensitivities.

It makes for interesting reading. I will probably tackle volume two one of these days.

[Lianna]

From http://www.cracked.com/article_15895_...

"When the 1828 election rolled around, a lot of people were terrified when they heard Andrew "Old Hickory" Jackson was running. If you're wondering how a guy we're calling a bad ass got such a lame nickname, it's because he used to carry a hickory cane around and beat people senseless with it, and if you're wondering why he did that, it's because he was a fucking lunatic."

[Daniel DeLappe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read on a fantastic and controversial man. A great, well paced, detailed read. Looking forward to part 2

[H.R.R. Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers from Jackson's low-class birth and upbringing, through the War of 1812 and fateful Battle of New Orleans, all the way to the taking of Florida from Spain.  As such, it contains some of the really weird, shady stuff that Jackson did in his 20's and 30's, including (gasp!) marrying a divorced woman.

One of the interesting things about Remini's work is how obviously pro-Jackson he was.  While this sentiment was probably more understandable in the 1970's, it's painfully obvious when one reads this book now.  When on one page Remini says "He was good to his slaves" then goes on to say HE CHAINED AND WHIPPED THEM, I'm going to have to argue with the author.  I can only give Jackson the benefit of the doubt in that he acted in a way similar to his peers, but that doesn't forgive him some of the stuff he did.  It's hard to judge the founding fathers and some of the early American heroes because of the juxtaposition of evil with good.  And, yet, it's something I think needs to be pondered.

Remini is right that Jackson was extremely complex.  Jackson wasn't just a murder-monster filled with hate, but he definitely did try to hunt down John Sevier, the former and future governor of Tennessee.

While Jackson was a superior court judge.

Imagine that - your governor is literally being hunted down by a judge in your state.  That's bonkers.

Imagine that a dude decides it's within his rights to put your city under martial law and arrest anyone who challenges him - including the federal judge who says his actions are illegal.  Then, when everyone in town is certain he's trying to form his own little kingdom, the tyrant receives dispatch that the war is over and releases everyone he put in political prison.  Just like that, his faith in the republic allows his rule to evaporate, and he leaves.

Jackson did that.  He did that and more.  It's really interesting, to me, that we have larger-than-life legends about Crockett and Boone, but don't have as many legends about Jackson.  If he hadn't become president (spoiler for the next book... sorry y'all), he'd probably still be spoken of in similar capacity to those two legends.

Because, as I see it, Jackson's true story is far more insane than legend.

[Martin Rollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very detailed look at Andrew Jackson's life culminating in his governorship of the Floridas in 1821. Jackson is portrayed, no doubt correctly, as a moody oversensitive man with a renowned, dangerous temper. He is also shown to be a remarkably adept military leader with a tenacity second to none. The author ably portrays Jackson's military brilliance in the former's account of the Creek War, the pivotal battle of New Orleans, and the First Seminole War. Remini contends, again probably correctly, that Jackson was the primary catalyst for American expansion in early U.S. history. This is a fairly balanced account of Jackson's early years, not glossing over his pettiness, or his cold attitude towards native Americans. Paradoxically, Jackson, whilst an unapologetic slave holder, and 'Indian remover', was a great champion of equality, and of fair treatment towards the poor and marginalized of society. Given the brutal treatment of Jackson and his family by the British during the Revolutionary War, small wonder the future POTUS #7 hated the Brits with a passion. Robert Remini also details 'Old Hickory's' brief political experience prior to 1822; eleven weeks as governor of Florida in 1821, and a brief stint in Congress and the Senate in the late 1790's. The bulk of this book, however, involves Jackson's time as major general. If 'Sharp Knife' merely languished at his Hermitage from 1822 until his death, he would remain a great hero of early America. I recommend this book, but only if the reader wants a great deal of detail, as Remini devotes around 1200 pages in three volumes to Andrew Jackson.

[Jason Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jackson is a controversial topic whose actions do not play well against the modern academic environment. A man who was controversial in his day stands little chance in the highly politicized academy of today. On one hand, the map of the United States looks the way it does in terms of Southeast because of his precipitous actions. One might even argue that the nascent United States may even have foundered n s first half century without Jackson. On the other hand, his Indian policy destroyed the tribal integrity of thousands of indigenous people and its impact and precedent reverberates today.
Remini adopts the conversational manner of narrative history that was common through the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The history “reads” well. The phrasings are a bit archaic - many references to “red men” - but nothing too egregious. A bit of a relic, but still a good read.

[Will Waller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Given this book back in high school, it took until now to start reading it. Andrew Jackson is far more complicated than I realized. With his mother dying during the Revolutionary War, and her saving him from the British before she died with a prisoner swap, Jackson would forever be especially caring towards women and girls. Furthermore, Jackson did tremendous amounts of work for his soldiers during the Creek War, while men were on the verge of starvation. Finally, Jackson was a governor of Florida after the transition and because of his wife's piety, he instituted severe penalties for Sabbath-breaking. These and countless more parts of Jackson's story influence the person who would become president.

Highly recommend if you wish to understand Trump.

[Ronen Ben-simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written biography, although Remini does excuse some of Jacksons behavior, he does appear to lay the facts out plainly, so you can certainly draw your own conclusions. Additionally, he does criticize Jackson on numerous occasions. It was a good read and I look forward to the rest of the series. Jackson certainly isnt a sympathetic figure in this book, no matter how much Remini likes Jackson. His conduct and actions are pretty despicable in numerous regards, but Remini does help us try to put Jacksons mindset into his actions to try and get us to see the world through Jacksons eyes. It doesnt lessen the tragedies that Jackson oversaw, but puts into context in history his actions and shows why we cannot go down this path that allows a Jackson to rise to happen again.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely pro-Jackson. Not as slavish as volume 2 where he calls Jackson "the Hero" every other page, but still very pro-Jackson. Even then, the prose and detail covered here is top of the line. I can't imagine reading a single, one-volume, 400 page work on such a monumental figure. It's really interesting reading the War of 1812 recently from so many perspectives (Jackson, Madison, W. Harrison, and the peacemakers).

[Ken Abel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covers the first third of Andrew Jackson’s life. I started the other Jackson biography American Lion and was immediately disappointed that they just passed the period from his youth to the presidency in just a few pages. Well after 400 pages I’m very satisfied with the amount of coverage this first volume has. I finally have a sense why Andrew Jackson was so popular right through the 20th century.

[Massanutten Regional Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Butch, Central patron, June 2017, 5 stars:

By "the foremost Jacksonian scholar of our time" (New York Times), the critically acclaimed and most concise biography of Andrew Jackson that takes a comprehensive look at the political, personal, and military life of the seventh president of the United States.

[Alex McVeigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I could have hoped for in a biography of Jackson’s early life. Great stories and anecdotes about his development and how things shaped his overall philosophy going forward.

Remini even provides great context about how certain things would shape future actions. One of the best books I’ve read this year.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially I was afraid to commit to this three-volume biography of Andrew Jackson but both the writer and his subject dissipated my fears from the get-go. Robert Remini proved to be a masterful wordsmith. The book is easy to read and very informative. You can really see that he had done a lot of research before getting down to writing.

[Jonathan Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first of a trilogy, this older biography on the early years of Andrew Jackson was well written and does not suffer from the time which has passed since its release. It was engaging and kept my attention the entire time. The writing was in narrative form but really gives a good historical context running concurrent with the subject which is really my mark of a good biography.

[Jdb · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely well written, easy to read bio of Jackson’s first 54 years. His Creek war and the battle of New Orleans are exceptionally well described. While the author overall thinks highly of A.J., he does not hide his warts or shy away from his character flaws.

[Sam Audia · Rating 4 out of 5]

At one time in the history of the United States, General Andrew Jackson of Tennessee was honored above all other living men.

[mwr]

Not the best of the presidential biographies I’ve read. Also not the best person.

[Kara King]

Kind of a weird vibe to be finishing this on Thanksgiving but what are ya gonna do

[Zachary Hadsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remini’s first of a three volume biography on Andrew Jackson is both engaging and scholarly. The first volume takes the reader from Jackson’s childhood on the Carolina borders and his run in with the notorious British officer Tarleton through Jackson’s governorship of Florida.

It is clear that Remini has an affinity for Jackson, but he doesn’t let that stop him from acknowledging Jackson’s obvious character faults. As such, I think Remini gives Jackson a fair shake that is devoid of the “presentism” of today’s often heard interpretation of Jackson, which is both refreshing and honest. In one such passage Remini tells of a rumor that had spread regarding Jackson when he observes that:

“The anecdote is probably apocryphal; it is repeated here only as an example of the surviving fictions that render Jackson a stereotyped, cardboard figure and, as a consequence, make the complexities and contradictions fused within his character. To depict him simply as all sound and fury, willful and ignorant, smashing his way to victory in the cause of country and female virtue is a distortion of the character of a complex man who deserves better.”

His coverage of Jackson’s handling of Indian affairs is especially good, one that acknowledges the unfortunate fate of the Chocktaws, Cherokees, Chickasaws and Creeks while simultaneously giving those nations the dignity they deserve. In today’s interpretation we tend to hear that the Indians were helpless victims of white imperial force when in reality the Indians played a much more active role in their relations with the new American nation. Ultimately the clash between these two civilizations came down to differing worldviews on fundamental issues, of which Lockian property rights was probably the most pronounced. In a lot of ways these worldviews were simply incompatible with each other and each party in the struggle knew it. As such, the Indian nations took desperate measures to preserve their way of life, often forming alliances with British and French powers in order to maintain whatever leverage they were able to at any given time. These are not the acts of helpless and passive victims, but powerful and astute men who did what they could to protect their families and preserve their access to the lands they inhabited to support their cultures. And yes this often led to violent and brutal outcomes that were perpetrated by both sides of the struggle. Early on in American colonial history the Indian nations had the upper hand, but as the colonies grew in size and power the Indian advantage waned in the face of more powerful weapons and lack of immunity to new foreign disease. By the time Jackson entered the scene the advantage clearly shifted to the American side. Jackson saw the continual Indian attacks on Americans as a threat posed by a foreign and sovereign nation, one that needed to be defended against in order to preserve his nation’s way of life. Yes, Jackson (or Sharp Knife as the Indians referred to him) was often unforgiving and demanding in his dealings with these Indian nations, and Remini doesn’t pretend otherwise. One of the two sides in the struggle was bound to come out on top and in our history it happened to be the American side of the conflict. This perspective allows us to see the conflict in terms of complex human relationships and struggles and not a watered down and undignified inflicting of racist malevolence. In fact, Jackson was deeply moved when he came across an Indian child who was left without a family after a particularly harsh conflict and decided to adopt this young child and provide him with the opportunities that he would for his own son. This is not the work of a bigoted racist, but a man who had the capacity for love and empathy towards an unfortunate child in the midst of turbulent times. As Remini continually reminds us, Jackson was a complex man.

[Nathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This, the first of a trilogy, begins with its author's asserting the inscrutability of his subject, which, in my experience, is a bad way to start a biography. If one's subject is indeed inscrutable, what can be the use of three hefty volumes devoted to it?

Remini manages to find enough to say about Jackson. The chronology is straightforward enough, neatly sectioned off in Remini's subtitular framework. This is indeed a sketch of Jackson the imperialist. The bulk of the early part of fhe book is devoted to Jackson's dealings with the Indian tribes, culminating in a brisk and engaging account of the Creek War that showcases a vivid and engaging flair quite unusual for Remini. The details of military maneuvers, of Jackson's keen sense of warfare, of the horrible carnage wreaked upon men, are all dealt with in unvarnished and memorable style. The Spanish and British receive equally brisk treatment as Jackson consolidates his military power and the the beginnings of an American empire.

Unfortunately, off the battlefield, Remini reverts to his tiresome drone, expecting his general themes of Jackson's headstrong independence and penchant for maverick behavior to explain the details of events sketched out only in the broadest terms. Where the preceding volumes regularly gave us updates on Jackson's home front, humanizing him with tales of his private relationship with Rachel, we see little of that here. Now Jackson is preoccupied with matters of state and war, and this facet, narrow as it is, takes up the full stage.

There needs to be as surer hand at the helm here, some solid opinion to stand up to and explain the blustery unpredictability of Jackson's nature. Remini does not provide it. At the close of the book, we leave Jackson to rest- for a moment- on the laurels of his military career, and look ahead to his rise to the White House. A shame, though, that his road there is mapped out in the roughest style. The facts of this period in Jackson's life may demand such rough and hurried narrative, but I look forward, past this volume, to a more deliberate and careful study in the second chapter.

[Andrew Canfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the first of a three volume work on the life of President Andrew Jackson by Robert Remini. It covers the time from Jackson's birth (disputed as to whether or not it took place in South or North Carolina) until the conclusion of the Seminole War (stopping around the time he became a U.S. Senator from Tennessee). The detail in this book was compelling; Remini poured a lot of effort into letting the reader know the intricacies of Jackson's character in his pre-presidential years. He doesn't go out of his way to smear Jackson, but does offer some personal insights into why Jackson did some of the things he did, particularly when it comes to the Native Americans. A lot of the mistreatment of the Indians by Jackson is chronicled in this first volume; everything from violence to constantly moving goal posts is documented.

The portion on the Battle of New Orleans offered some facts that I hadn't been aware of prior to reading The Course of American Empire. Jackson's near-imperial behavior after the victory was something I didn't know about before reading this biography. The extended look that Remini offers of the battle leaves the reader with a thorough grasp of how those events unfolded. It was nothing short of an outstanding read, and I couldn't want to begin the second volume once the first was wrapped up.

[AC · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I've had this affinity for Andrew Jackson ever since high school US history. He was always portrayed as the president for the common man. After all, it was under Jackson that the nation became more democratic (suffrage for all free white men though). He was also a brawler, an able general who was able to increase the size of the US through sheer will and also by skirting and disobeying orders. This volume reiterates Jackson as the type of guy who is quick tempered, erratic, and violent. He stole land from the Indians under the guise of protecting them from white men. There were many times that his actions could've started a war with both Britain and Spain, but thanks to JQA, that never happened. Being a man of the people really doesn't come through in this volume, only at the very end: "I did believe, and ever will believe, that just laws can make no distinction of privilege between the rich and poor, mad that when men of high standing attempt to trample upon the rights of the weak, they are the fittest objects for example and punishment. In general, the great can protect themselves, but the poor and humble, require the arm and shield of the law."