The First Populist: A Life of Andrew Jackson

by David S. Brown

A timely, “solidly researched [and] gracefully written” ( The Wall Street Journal ) biography of President Andrew Jackson that offers a fresh reexamination of this charismatic figure in the context of American populism—connecting the complex man and the politician to a longer history of division, dissent, and partisanship that has come to define our current times.

Andrew Jackson rose from rural poverty in the Carolinas to become the dominant figure in American politics between Jefferson and Lincoln. His reputation, however, defies easy description. Some regard him as the symbol of a powerful democratic movement that saw early 19th-century voting rights expanded for propertyless white men. Others stress Jackson’s prominent role in removing Native American peoples from their ancestral lands, which then became the center of a thriving southern cotton kingdom worked by more than a million enslaved people.

A combative, self-defined champion of “farmers, mechanics, and laborers,” Jackson railed against East Coast elites and Virginia aristocracy, fostering a brand of democracy that struck a chord with the common man and helped catapult him into the presidency. “The General,” as he was known, was the first president to be born of humble origins, first orphan, and thus far the only former prisoner of war to occupy the office.

Drawing on a wide range of sources, The First Populist takes a fresh look at Jackson’s public career, including the pivotal Battle of New Orleans (1815) and the bitterly fought Bank War; it reveals his marriage to an already married woman and a deadly duel with a Nashville dandy, and analyzes his magnetic hold on the public imagination of the country in the decades between the War of 1812 and the Civil War.

“By assessing the frequent comparisons between Jackson and Donald Trump…the hope is that a fresh understanding of the divisive times of ‘the country’s original anti-establishment president’ might shed light on our own” ( The Christian Science Monitor ).

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

432 pages, Hardcover

Published May 17, 2022

About the author

David Scott Brown is Horace E. Raffensperger professor of history at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, United States. He graduated from Wright State University in 1990 and earned a master's degree from the University of Akron in 1992. He completed his Ph.D. in 1995 at the University of Toledo. Brown joined Elizabethtown College in 1997, after previously teaching at the University of Toledo, Washtenaw Community College, and Saginaw Valley State University. He was named Raffensperger Professor in 2012.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone writing a new biography of Andrew Jackson is going to have to confront a number of elephants in the room that previous biographers didn’t have to face. And David S. Brown not only addresses the elephants, but builds his entire narrative around them.

The first point to consider is that Jackson’s reputation has taken a turn for the worse in recent years. So a Great Man of History-style biography that may have worked before is not going to cut it these days. An analysis of Jackson’s legacy also must consider his many contradictions - he expanded democracy and strengthened the role of the presidency, but at what cost? And the biggest elephant in the room has a name: Trump. Any modern discussion of Jackson will perhaps inevitably lead to a discussion about just how much or how little #7 resembles #45.

The strength of Brown’s new book is that he dives right into discussing all of these, addressing up front what everyone is thinking if they pick up a Jackson biography today. Positioning Jackson as “The First Populist” allows Brown to reframe the discussion from Jackson as champion of the common man, or as an avuncular Old Hickory, or as an “American Lion,” to his status as one of the country’s most populist presidents - in both the good and bad connotations of the term.

Jackson "energized a mass movement" against what the common people saw as the elite political establishment, Brown notes. Distrusting experts and the professional political class, Jackson "trust(ed) his instincts above all else," and "ruled by agitating, confronting, and dividing." If that sounds like someone else we know, Brown goes there and doesn’t tiptoe around it, comparing and contrasting Jackson’s brand of populism with Trump’s, and with others who served, or sought to serve, in between the two.

The book is at its best when it examines Jackson's contradictions and what his populism begat. "Is he the era's greatest democrat or its elected autocrat?" Brown asks. Should Jackson be remembered for standing up for the people with his Bank War, or for fighting Native Americans and spreading slavery?

The book’s introduction provocatively sets up these themes, which are reintroduced in a thoughtful conclusion. In between, however, is a more routine birth-to-death biography that somewhat rapidly retells familiar tales for anyone who’s read about Jackson before. As an analysis of Jackson's presidency, when such analysis is offered, the book is compelling. As a biography of a man whose pre-presidential life was more action-packed than most, the book can be somewhat surprisingly and disappointingly dry.

Some of this is because Brown tends to write with the verve of an academic and not that of a biographer, so Jackson doesn't ever really come to life. Distractingly literate language permeates the prose as, for example, a not-particularly-conversational word like “hitherto" is used in the narrative more than a half dozen times. Some sentences are stiltedly convoluted and difficult to read, like "Only in his early twenties, but able through effort and connections to claim increasingly the status of a frontier gentleman, he proposed to keep this studied momentum moving." And other sentences are cluttered with clusters of clauses, interrupting the flow as you’re forced to rearrange sentences in your mind as you read, as with "Not long before Jackson's arrival in Nashville, Rachel's mother, Rachel Stokely Donelson, was widowed, the colonel having been shot and killed, it is unclear by whom, along the banks of the Barren River while conducting a survey."

The chapters are super short, many only a few pages long. On the one hand, this makes them easily digestible, but it also can make them read like discrete vignettes chronologically told, rather than as part of a larger, flowing, cohesive story.

While Brown’s telling of Jackson’s life story can seem rote at times and lacking in the insightful analysis that the book’s introduction seems to promise, a few moments do stand out. Highlights include Brown’s treatment of the Native American removal process and the nullification crisis, which he rightly links instead of treating as completely separate events, as some other biographers tend to do. By supporting Georgia’s refusal to abide by the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the rights of the Cherokees over the state, Jackson may have precipitated the very South Carolina nullification crisis he was later forced to confront, as "some believed that with Jackson's blessing, a stubborn southern legislature had effectively nullified federal law, establishing a precedent for other aggrieved parties," Brown writes.

So, circling back to the book’s thesis, what does all of this have to do with populism? In championing democracy and the common man, Jackson’s view of presidential powers "appeared to be limited only to the extent the people wished them to be limited," Brown concludes. While this played out most notably in Jackson’s Bank War and in abolishing the spoils system, Brown points out that the “erratic energy” of populist democracy also “collaterally legitimized Indian removal, slavery’s expansion, and the troubling growth of presidential fiat."

The book’s introduction and conclusion are the best and most thought-provoking parts of the book. They would have been even better had they been expanded upon to more fully explore Jackson’s legacy and impact, and the parallels and contrasts between his time and our politics today. And the book itself would have been even better had more of this analysis been incorporated into the narrative.

Ultimately, the book’s introduction and conclusion could be considered a new frame around an old portrait. The portrait itself, which is revealed during the course of the book, remains familiar. But the contemporary frame that surrounds it allows us to see Jackson in a slightly different way. The book as a whole does not necessarily offer a radical rethinking of Andrew Jackson, his presidency and his populism, but it is a notable step toward a more modern analysis of a consequential president whose legacy lives with us still.

Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for providing an advance copy of this book for review, ahead of its May 17th release.

[Immigration Art · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book presents a very good overview of two things.

The first is an enlightening summary of the life circumstances into which Andrew Jackson was born, and his ability to create a fantastic career as a Military, Judicial, and Political leader.

The second overview presented by the author is a lucid explanation of the "Indian Removal" / "Trail of Tears" policy in the wider context of American manifest destiny. Jackson essentially took the Florida territory (using the alleged violence caused by the Indians in Florida as an excuse). Jackson also paved the way for removal of Indians from Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, allowing each state to govern the entirety of their sovereign lands without regard for "pesky Indians." Jackson also set the stage for America to annex Texas. All this activity propelled the growth of States' Rights sentiment and the expansion of slave holding states.

And, finally, regarding the second overview clearly presented by the author, Jackson's work served as the role model for James Polk, the President who finally got the job done and created the American Borders for the future 48 contiguous states that we all know today.

Generally speaking, not only did the rampant nationalism of the U.S., during the Jacksonian period, match the crazed fever of the Trump voters today, but also there's an eerie parallel in the behavior of Jackson and Trump -- both sought powers more suitable for a King than the President of a republic, both held U.S. Institutions in contempt, and both saw conspiracy theories and enemies at every turn.

Populism, nationalism, nativism, and pugilistic authoritarianism are, in total, an exhausting proposition. This was true then, in the era of Jackson, and now, in the long shadow of Trump.

As a final note: why only 3 Stars? The writing style of the author is dry. If I had not truly wanted to read a short summary of Jackson's life and times, I would have put this book aside and left it partially read. But the fascinating elements of the story itself, even when presented in a stilted manner, kept me engaged nonetheless. That in and of itself is a testament to the strength of the legacy of Jackson.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1828, Andrew Jackson won 55.5 percent of the popular vote and 68 percent of the electoral college, with 57 percent of eligible voters turning out. He won 81.4 percent of votes in the South.

Out of office was President John Quincy Adams, son of President John Adams. JQA had given his life to public service. He had stellar credentials. He was brilliant, a Harvard graduate, had an important career as a diplomat, had served under Presidents Madison and Monroe (yes, he worked with Jeffersonians, his dad’s political enemy), and was Secretary of State. He was also a Northerner, part of an ‘elite’ group of politicians.

General Andrew Jackson was born in the boondocks. The Revolutionary War took the lives of his brothers. When the British took him prisoner, he resisted an order and narrowly missed death. By age fifteen he was an orphan making his own way in the world. He was a self-made man, a lawyer, an owner of slaves and a land speculator. He sought military glory and fought duels with those who offended his honor. He bent or ignored orders for military glory that catapulted him to fame.

Jackson was the people’s hero, hugely popular. He challenged the status quo, complaining about government ruled by an ‘elite’ group that did not represent the ‘people.’ And that ‘elite’ group in power saw Jackson as a threat to democracy.

I admit, Jackson had not been on my list of must-read presidential biographies, but I was definitely interested in the approach David S. Brown takes in The First Populist. By focusing on Jackson in the populist tradition, I gained a deep understanding of populism in history, shedding light on its attraction today.

Jackson took on power when the young nation was dealing with numerous issues. Of course, there was the expansion into Native American territories and what to do with the displaced peoples. And, slavery and its expansion into newly created states. Which brings us to states’ rights, which question also involved what the role of the Federal government was in infrastructure–should the people be taxed to build highways that did not run through their state or benefit their state? Then, there was the issue of a national bank that could possibly use its clout politically. And, could states ignore Federal regulations and laws?

Jackson’s life and career is fascinating, although often disturbing.

Yes, Brown does address the relationship between Jackson and President Trump, showing the ways they differ and are the same. Including that Jackson won far more of the vote than Trump. He warns against torqueing history to follow a pattern. But in the end, both Jackson and Trump used an “anti-establishment ethos” and “disruption;” both were thin-skinned and required loyalty; both had gained fame and adulation before running for office; and both had been mired in scandal.

Its is a fascinating biography that vastly increased my understanding of America’s heritage.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Biography

A very good biography of Andrew Jackson and his populist tendencies. Loyal to the South and West, he was driven to destroy the Eastern Elite and create a government that supported the common man. His Supreme Court picks set up a system that led to the anger that began the Civil War.

[Benja · Rating 4 out of 5]

early US (political) history is so interesting! and so boring! i appreciate this bio

[Shoshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is not much new to be discovered about Andrew Jackson. His life has been scrutinized by many biographers; from magisterial multi-volume biographies to one-hour wonders, that field has been well and truly plowed. But our understanding of the seventh president can be interpreted in different ways.

David S Brown has looked at Jackson's life through an interesting prism. He views Jackson as the champion of ordinary people, and in the introduction and the conclusion compares and contrasts our seventh president with the forty-fifth. Such a comparison can be only superficial because there is no real comparison. Jackson was a self-made man, a lawyer and famous soldier. He had held high political office, and was a man of intelligence, bravery and personal honor. Ahem.

It was an interesting book to read, and I'm glad I read it. While the story of Jackson's life was familiar, the interpretation was intriguing. After someone made a big fetish out of Jackson, based on rather spurious claims, it was a novel way to consider history.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Joe Kovacs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Ron Chernow, the biographer of founding fathers George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, for many years so I picked up The First Populist expecting to be let down. That's not exactly fair to biographer David Brown. And in all fairness to him, his account of the life and presidency of Andrew Jackson was pretty impressive.

I've also always been a fan of Revolutionary America and Brown's account depicts the years in the immediate aftermath of the War of Independence from Britain, when the new American country began expanding westward. Young Andrew Jackson was central to that movement, settling in Tennessee in the late 1700s, ambitiously pursuing roles in government and law before finding his moment in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812, whose victory catapulted him to national fame.

This was the time when the growing complexity of the expanding nation impacted politics. No longer would the presidency fall naturally to Virginia planter/aristocrats such as Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. The western frontier and its demands for pushing back the British and Spanish influence, and displacing of Indian communities all in the name of expanding land grabs, tilted in favor of rugged, direct frontiersmen such as Jackson, who were on the front lines of a newly emerging American identity.

Jackson didn't always play by the rules and he often broke some constitutional laws on his way to defending and expanding the American country. James Monroe, as president, couldn't quite bring himself to hold Jackson accountable for his transgressions since Monroe was also a not-quite-closet expansionist and liked the irascible Old Hickory's achievements in expanding the nation's territories.

Eventually, political and national dynamics launched Andrew Jackson to the presidency - the first western president who with his sometimes coarse behavior and tendency to feel compelled to repay real or perceived slights and demand personal loyalty over fealty to great national principles, caused conservatives in the Jeffersonian-Monroe tradition to feel the end of the republic was nigh.

Biographer Brown's insight into the expanding national identity was my favorite part of the biography. I'd never before read about the political shifts underway in the early 19th century but I came to appreciate, after completing the book, how this must have caused quite a bit of tension between the Old Guard (the aging Founding Fathers including John Quincy Adams, who honored his father John Adams' accomplishments and detested Jackson) and the emerging class of Western expansionists on the far side of the Appalachian Mountains who weren't quite as groomed by the politics of the East Coast.

Jackson himself is almost treated by the biographer as an object moving through the national discourse and while Brown does delve somewhat into Jackson's upbringing and experiences, and how they served as possible motivators for his behavior, Brown does not explore Jackson's character with anywhere near the depth that Chernow came to depict Washington and Hamilton.

The book ends with the growing tension of slavery taking root in the nation's identity in the 1830s and 1840s, especially in light of the controversial Missouri Compromise. Slavery and the forthcoming Civil War would end up as the next painful step in the growing country's birth pains following the tensions associated with western expansion, land purchases (or seizures), the right of states to challenge national tariffs and the role of a National Bank - Alexander Hamilton's baby, which Jackson hated - in the national economy.

I highly recommend The First Populist for readers of American Revolutionary history. For those interested in how the new nation began facing new challenges and opportunities in the early 1800s, and who can appreciate how Andrew Jackson came to represent more than anyone else, these tectonic shifts, it is an engaging and educational read.

[Christy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, war hero, plantation owner, and dueler is certainly one of the most interesting figures of his era and one of the most interesting men to ever assume the role of our country's chief executive. He was born before the revolutionary war, never knew his father who died before he was born, and at a young age, Andrew Jackson himself was taken prisoner by the British Army. He served in Congress, Senate, and as a Justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court. He was a much-lauded General credited for defeating the British in the famous Battle Of New Orleans. Jackson's marriage to previously married Rachel Donelson caused the couple much angst as it was discovered two years after their marriage that her previous husband had not divorced her. The Jacksons immediately married again after the divorce but were chastised for the marriage for many years afterward. Sadly Rachel died before Jackson assumed the office of the President. As President, Jackson was opposed to federal banking but was the only president to totally relieve the country of the national debt. His signing of the Indian removal act in his second term is a stain to this day on his legacy. He lobbied for the common man and was extremely popular in the states west of New England. He was the first president to be elected outside of the geographic location that was not part of the Virginia aristocracy. Jackson, himself a Democrat stayed active in the party after his presidency and was in favor of the election of Martin Van Buren as his successor.
In modern times many have compared him to President Trump and he was a favorite of the 45th president who visited his home outside of Nashville. Courageous, outspoken, tempermental, and unpopular with the New England media there are some similarities between the two men. Both served as a stopgap to politics as usual but were radical sometimes in thoughts, words, and deeds.
David S. Brown's well-written biography of Andrew Jackson will add no doubt to the documentation of the life of one of our country's most interesting men who served his country for two terms as President and many years in other roles as a public servant. Even though Andrew and Rachel Jackson lived well, he was not prosperous on his own, making bad financial deals and delegating to others who exaggerated his debt that was considerable upon his death. I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in the personal and political life of Andrew Jackson. It is readable and interesting from start to finish.

[J. Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read several books on Andrew Jackson and have found him a man of extraordinary strength and luck, and an individual deeply flawed, who left a questionable effect on United States history. Brown’s book didn’t improve my liking for Jackson.

As an historical scholar, Brown is a bit suspect. He wants to make a point, a valid point, but he tells Jackson’s story in such a way as to serve his point, not necessarily the whole truth. Nevertheless, Brown isn’t wrong.

Jackson survived a childhood that was traumatic and violent. He saw both his brother and mother killed as a consequence of British behavior during the Revolutionary War. He was driven by the fires of both hatred and violence. As an owner of slaves, an Indian fighter, a duelist, and a commander who sent several of his soldiers to the firing squad, Jackson trafficked in violence his whole life. It was his answer to nearly every challenge.

But he also had an intelligence and an intuition that made him highly successful. Unfortunately, that brilliant mind was generally applied to his own advancement. His political positions were consistent only to the extent that they served his own advancement.

He was the first president to utterly disregard the constitution’s balance of power arrangement. Jackson defied both congress and the Supreme Court. We continue to see how fraught those attitudes are in our own recent presidents.

Brown finishes his book with brief mentions of the relationship between Trump and Jackson. He also links Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon, and Lyndon Johnson, but offers no evidence.

As I was reading Brown’s book, I kept thinking of Donald Trump (not the first time I’ve noticed similarities between Trump and Jackson. While not nearly as intelligent as Jackson, (but just as intuitive), Donald Trump has much of Andrew Jackson’s mindset. The public anger that both Jackson and Trump tapped into is similar. Both appealed to a citizenry that felt neglected and marginalized by the elite. The personality flaws of both were seen as assets rather than liabilities in the fight against the elite.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrew Jackson and his presidency is an important milestone in the sweep of events between the American Revolution and the Civil War. He was a southern slave owner, as were Washington, Jefferson, and the rest, but seen as practically a world-ending calamity by the eastern elites. Why? I am not sure about “why”, other than that he originated in the Tennessee backwoods, was tall and scrawny, had red hair, spoke with uncouth mannerisms, and was prone to take quick offense. He carried in his body two bullets from duels he had fought and won.

Somehow this biography failed to enliven me. It provides a lot of detail mined from Jackson’s personal letters and from those who corresponded with him. Personal correspondence seems to be the main sourcing for the book, and this creative decision has consequences for the reading experience.

From synthesis of the letters, I learned a great deal about how those two duels came about and how they were carried out. But I failed to understand much about Jackson the American president. Why was he so popular? How was he popular? What was his administration like, and what were the main political controversies? Today, I would say his administration is mainly notorious for the “Trail of Tears” expulsion of the Cherokee. This episode is detectable in Brown’s biography, but it is almost negligible in its narrative weight, being just another episode painted as a drab reflection of whatever was written in personal correspondence.

Imagine the year is 2200 and you are writing a biography of Donald Trump, and your main source of material are his tweets and those tweeting at him. I think it will be quite difficult to get a fully contextualized grasp of what was going on at the time, how it happened, why it mattered. (And by the way, that’s a crazy thought: who can imagine what people of 2200, as far from us as we are from the Jackson era, will consider the main take-away from these decades?)

In sum, I think this is a worthy and credible work of historical synthesis, but it is not the first book one should read to obtain an understanding of Andrew Jackson in the context of American history.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The First Populist" is the third biography I have read about Andrew Jackson and it seems the more I read about him the less I like him. Much has been rightly made of his humble origins and his pulling himself up by his bootstraps. An orphan since the Revolutionary War he literally fought his way to become one of our nation's most popular presidents. But a close examination of his life and career reveal him to be more of a monster than a marvel. True, he broke the Virginia-Massachusetts presidential stranglehold on the country by becoming the first westerner and friend of the common man to lead our country. But it's difficult to enumerate what his policies did to aid the common man because the causes he undertook became more personal vendettas. His fight to eliminate the Second Bank of the United States was a dubious campaign against the East coast commercial elites that helped bring about the Panic of 1837. He was an unashamed slaveholder having as many as 150 slaves at one time. He sought to extend slavery into the western states whenever possible and appointed Roger Taney Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who later issued the ruling in the Dred Scott case, possibly the worst ruling in the history of the Supreme Court of United States. His treatment of the Native American was abominable whether as an Indian fighter or as the maker and breaker of treaties, and the eventual implementor of Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears. Much has been done to compare him to President Trump but while I'm hard-pressed to name a few Jacksonian successes that improved the lives of all Americans I can point out any number of Trump successes that helped all Americans. Among these are lower taxes, energy independence, a secure border, peace abroad, a strong defense, low inflation, low unemployment, and Project Warp Speed that found a vaccine to prevent COVID-19. I don't begrudge Jackson's place in history But I hope we don't have to wait 200 years before President Trump gets fair treatment.

[Jared Lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Bowman wrote a much needed book in framing the story of Jackson's life as that of the first populist. Considering Jackson in light of the growth of the recent populist and nationalist movement under Donald Trump can provide perspective for our times. Bowman moves the story along at an appropriate pace rather than trying to write the new definitive biography of Jackson's life that makes for an enjoyable experience for the reader.

However, my main critique is that Bowman did not take the opportunity to drive the main theme of his book home in his analysis of the various issues discussed relating to Jackson. Bowman provides a brief introduction as to what he is up to and closes the book with list of comparisons and contrasts between Jackson and Trump, which comes off as rather superficial in terms of analysis. When you write a book on the likes of Andrew Jackson when so many biographies have already been written by the likes of Robert Remini, Arthur Schlesinger, H.W. Brands, and Jon Meacham, another such biography needs to press the unique theme, populism, and analyze the issues in that light. I would have liked to see Bowman provide more explanation as to how and why, say, Jackson's bank war and frontier expansion were populist issues. Bowman could have drawn on Murray Rothbard's work here and done a more thoroughgoing job. That said, I recommend this book at least to get people thinking about populist figures in our nation's history to understand their value to the nation today.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written biography of Old Hickory that follows his life from an impoverished childhood, through a distinguished military career in which he became a popular hero but almost landed the young republic at war with Spain, into his political career that lead to two terms in the White House and considerable influence until his death. Jackson was a polarizing figure in his day and remains so today.
I read this book with the intention of confirming my bias against Jackson. There is certainly much to criticize: a lowly upbringing with limited education; a violent and temperamental personality that lead to multiple duels; a general who considered orders to be mere suggestions; a president who ran roughshod over the rights of native Americans; and a man who continued to wield his influence in the political realm long after his terms expired.
However, I also was introduced to a man who became a lawyer and a general despite his lack of a favored upbringing; a president who truly put the interest of the common man above the landed elite; and a leader who was venerated by the masses. Like all of us, he was a man of many facets and contradictions.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Bob Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took awhile to complete
It’s too easy to dismiss anything about Jackson by simply calling him racist. Everyone knows he was and I’d like to think very few disagree. However there is quite a bit more to the man than I originally thought. Following his career leading to the WH and then his eight years occupying it, one gets the opportunity to see a revenge tour in full swing. Similar to present day events, Jackson fired multiple people from his administration for simply not listening to his demands. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?

It’s worth the read simply to get the scope of what he did while in office. Unlike our present day orange buffoon, Jackson believed what he did and followed it, morally right or wrong. The present day orange idiot will say whatever he can to get suckers to vote for him. Jackson said whatever he believed and stuck with it to an extent. He’s a complex man and the expansion of voting rights to the “common man” and his standing up to the state of SC years before the Civil War are two things worth exploring.

So yes, he was a racist. His administration managed to do a few things worthwhile for the young country in the process.

[Earl Ecklund III · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume David S. Brown examines the life and career of Andrew Jackson. Brown does a very good job of chronicling Jackson's rise from poverty to the White House as well as examining his attitudes and policies towards blacks and Native Americans.

Brown pulls no punches on how Jackson's military and political career led to the disgraceful removal of Native American tribes from their lands in the Southeast, modern day Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, to ultimately reservations in the Midwest. Jackson clearly favored the White settlers over the original inhabitants.

Jackson also embraced and became the symbol of the first American populist political movement which history now refers to as Jacksonian Democracy. This consisted of expansion of the franchise, allowing white males to vote regardless of property ownership, distrust of large banks and the wealthy financial crowd.

This book is a great overview but lacks detail at times.I enjoyed it immensely.

[Debra Hunter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up 25% of the way into the book. Well researched but that may be the book’s downfall; lots of facts but not much context or analysis. This left me unsatisfied. For example, it is mentioned that Jackson was briefly a member of the House and then of the Senate but that he had an undistinguished career. Why was this so? Not much explanation was provided. Jackson also seemed to earn most (if not all) of his political positions through someone’s favor. Again - why was he so favored when he was said to be a mediocre lawyer and an ineffective politician? These felt to me like things that should have been further explored.

To be fair, it’s possible that the book improves as it continues, but I wasn’t willing to invest more time because I was only learning the facts of Andrew Jackson’s life and not much about who the man really was.

[AB Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every year, I read a presidential biography. Even though I have one about Ulysses S. Grant waiting patiently, this year's decision went to Andrew Jackson. I wasn't disappointed. David S. Brown's thorough research and discussion of the General's legacy are indeed highlights of the book. Not only was Jackson considered an "imperialist," but his perspective on the removal of Native Americans and disrespect for Abolitionism have proven a model for other US presidents. Reading through his life, the words "bully" and "authoritarian" ring true, and although times were different then, the significant impact he had upon the power of the presidency cannot be ignored, especially in modern times.

4 stars. An excellent take on Jackson's import in American history. A reasonably quick read.

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a difficult feat to tackle Jackson. Many elements to be discussed that have been historically omitted from biographic material surrounding his life. The author does a good job of addressing these elements. The only lacking part for me through this story was him trying to connect it to the present. At times it felt like a stretch, which to me diminished the impact of the more controversial elements of the Jacksonian era. That and the characterization of Jackson felt kind of off. The capriciousness of Jackson’s personal nature in contrast to his political assuredness was surely lacking. He didn’t do things unconfidently, and his political arrogance shone through while his personal qualities did not at all.

[Robert Melnyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book on the life of our 7th president. This book compares favorably to the biography by Jon Meacham, "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House." Meacham's book focuses mainly on Jackson's days in the White House, while Brown discusses Jackson's entire life history. Brown does a good job of portraying Jackson fairly, discussing both the good and bad things about Jackson's life. I enjoyed the book because I enjoy reading about history. I would have given it 4 stars instead of 3, but I thought it got a bit draggy at times. But if you want to learn a bit about Andrew Jackson it is worth the read.

[Patrick Kealey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breezy biography of Andrew Jackson, its chief virtue and its chief vice. Good when it discusses specific policy and broader ideological questions brought up through Jackson's moment, but there's a fundamental distance between the narrative and the subject, I don't feel like I know the subject too well. This is the first biography of Jackson I've read, and I've noticed that on my first read of a biography I tend to have a higher-than-justified opinion of an author's familiarity with a subject, so if you have more familiarity with Jackson, I would be cautious.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Brown has written an exhaustively researched and well document book in "The First Populist." Even the most avid follower of historic figures will likely learn a great deal from this book. It is not a favorite of mine though because Brown's writing style is quite academic, seamingly more like a textbook than an enjoyable romp in historic content. Be advised of this, but also know also that you can learn a lot from reading it.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A number of biographies have been written about the seventh president of the United States, but none has positioned Andrew Jackson so firmly in the forefront of the country's populist tradition. Brown traces Jackson's unusual life and legacy, shedding new light on his place in our nation's history and focusing on his role as a leader "of the people." Some say he was President Trump BEFORE President Trump. An interesting read.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The complex and unsolvable character of Old Hickory is told as simply as possible. A man impossible to sum up an opinion on in a few sentences, this book does justice to the truth about Jackson, both his defiant populism and his aristocratic white supremacy . Opinions on the man must be formed from multiple angles, and this book shows those angles quite well. A monster bathed in the blood of non-whites to a true man of the common creed and many other viewpoints.

[Steven Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The First Populist is a solid biography of Andrew Jackson. One thing I like is that it splits Jackson's life into virtually every event and writes fairly short chapters on each. Thus you can dip into the book a little each day and finish the short 3-7 page chapters and start anew the next time. He shows how Jackson made many mistakes in his career that could have ended his escalation to the presidency but was protected by the fame he earned as the victor of the Battle of New Orleans.

[Tom Lewellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a couple of ways to rate the book. Always the positive guy, I decided to rate this as an academic endeavor not a book of stories about Jackson.

The book is very detailed and probably misses nothing in Jackson's life. If you are writing a history of president's this is the book you want for Jackson.

Tom

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content was informative and helpful to learn a brief history of Andrew Jackson. However, the author was occasionally difficult to follow and jumped from topic to topic without clear transitions. For the content of the book, I enjoyed learning about another of our early presidents and his contribution to the growth of a wonderful country!

[Kate B · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Most active when threatened, he faced a host of obstacles in 1832 including critics of his re election, radical nullifiers, and backers of the national bank. He personalized each of these challenges, making of public policy a bid for private vindication and doing so in the sacred name of the people.”

[Sara Laor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Very well researched and written. Although harsh with Jackson at times, it also finds humor and gentility. Could have benefitted from more maps, and more reminders of Jackson's age when this-and-that happened, but overall excellent. I also appreciated the compact chapters which helped digest the momentous lifetime of the president.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well researched and written biography of President Andrew Jackson. Mr. Brown presents the whole of the President, warts and all, pulling no punches. A very interesting and introspective tale. Well worth the time to read.

[John Bicknell · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The First Populist, we see a Jackson who justifies himself through the popular will, in opposition to norms and rules established by elites whom he believes have betrayed their duty.

My whole review is here: https://lawliberty.org/book-review/an...