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.
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