Synopses & Reviews
Jackson was the first president who was neither a member of the economic or social elite, nor from the Eastern Seaboard states of Massachusetts or Virginia.
Born poor and orphaned at fifteen, Andrew Jackson was a self-made man-one who represented the south and the western frontier and its expansionist interests. He was elected largely by voters who were not previously a part of the political process. He was also the first and only president who carried in his body two bullets; one near his heart from a duel, and one in his shoulder from a shootout. He was indeed a change from the past.
Jackson was the personification of the average citizen, the one who worked for a living, unafraid to get his hands dirty, and a symbol of the majesty of the common man. As a general, he had required more of his men than any other general had before. He executed some and threatened to shoot others, but they loved him and fought and died for him. He reveled in his successes-yet always praised and credited his soldiers with the victories. His military greatness lies not so much in his being a brilliant tactician, but in being a natural born leader able to make decisions, usually successful, on the spot, and to do his duty as he saw it.
With seemingly no credentials other than a contentious iron will, a desire to improve his situation in life, and a belief in the power and greatness of the American citizen, he rose to become president of the United States. The leadership qualities developed by Jackson as he rose in station by hard work, a firm belief in his own abilities, sheer force of will, help from others, and perhaps a bit of luck, propelled him from an obscure rural village to the epitome of public office, and ushered in what one author labeled The Age of Jackson, and fundamentally changed the paradigm of how Americans selected their leaders.
Synopsis
Orphan. Frontiersman. President. The rise of Andrew Jackson to the highest office in America has become a legend of leadership, perseverance, and ambition. Central to Jackson's historic climb?long before the White House--was his military service. Scarred permanently as a child by the sword of a British soldier, Jackson grew into an unwavering leader, a general whose charisma and sheer force of personality called to mind those of George Washington a generation earlier.
As commander of the Tennessee militia in the War of 1812, Jackson became "Old Hickory," the indomitable spearhead in a series of bloody conflicts with Creek Indians on the southwest frontier. Slight of frame with silver hair that seemed to stand on command, Jackson once stood down a mutinous brigade as an army of one. Then came New Orleans. Author Paul Vickery chronicles Jackson's defining battle and the decisions a single, impassioned commander made to ensure a growing nation could, once and for all, be free of British might. The hero of New Orleans infused America, for the first time, with a sense of nationalism.
Jackson was decisive and unforgiving, a commander firmly in his element. In his own words, "One man with courage makes a majority." The lessons of one extraordinary general endure.