American Lion by Jon Meacham

American Lion is a look at our 7th President, Andrew Jackson, primarily in and surrounding the White House.

Before reading this book I knew just a little about Andrew Jackson. I was turned on to him by some friends who were raving about what a great president he had been. He had effectively destroyed the Second bank of the United States, an entity that truly had been manipulating the government through bribery and selective banking. He was the first president to suffer an attempted assassination (twice) and, in one instance, chased after his would-be assailant. I was mostly unaware of the exploits of Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans; a battle whose anniversary was celebrated for decades, or his tragic treatment of Native Americans and the pre-agreed upon treaties they possessed.

American Lion was not a one-sided take of Andrew Jackson. It fairly showed his positive and negative aspects attempting to sway the reader only in sporadic occasions.

This book would be a great read for someone who wants to know about the political times of the 1820’s and 1830’s with just a superficial report of the rest of Jackson’s life. Of nearly 400 pages, the majority, are focused on the years in the White House. The remaining 100 pages give you a feeling of what other events in Jackson’s life on which you may want to read further but that is about as deep as it goes.

In addition to peaking my interest in the Battle of New Orleans, the Trail of Tears, and Jackson’s exploits as a duelist, I am now deeply interested in learning more about Henry Clay and Calhoun (two other would be presidential hopefuls of the era) and the signs of Jackson’s lasting influence in the political sphere.