American Lion (book)
Encyclopedia
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House is a 2008
biography by Jon Meacham
of Andrew Jackson
, the seventh President of the United States
. It won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Biography
.
Meacham, the editor of Newsweek
magazine, said he named the book American Lion as an attempt "not to lionize Jackson but to capture the contradictions at his core. If he were on your side, he would do all he could to protect you. If he believed you a foe, then he was a ferocious and merciless predator." He chose to write the book because he felt "Jackson represents the best of us and the worst of us", citing Jackson's simultaneous capacity for both kindness and cruelty. Meacham said he sought not to whitewash Jackson or "all his sins, which are enormous", such as his support of slavery and Indian removal
. Meacham said he believes understanding Jackson helps understand the shape of American politics, including popular campaigning techniques, media manipulation
, and engaging citizens in the narrative of politics while simultaneously governing. Meacham said, "All of these features flowered in the age of Jackson, and they all feel very contemporary."
Meacham's book was published within five years of the release of several books about Andrew Jackson by such authors as Sean Wilentz
, Daniel Walker Howe
and Andrew Burstein. Robert Roper, an author who reviewed American Lion for the Los Angeles Times
, said Meacham's book did not contest the portraits painted in those books, but rather it "selectively enriches that version with graceful new readings of some formerly overlooked primary materials," including the private papers of members of Jackson's family circle, Most of the previously unpublished correspondence was found in archives at The Hermitage
, Jackson's estate in Nashville
, Tennessee
. American Lion focuses a great deal on the Bank War
, the federal tariff on imports, and the Petticoat affair
, of which Meachem claims in his book, "the future of the American presidency was at stake".
American Lion received generally positive reviews. In The Washington Post
, Douglas Brinkley
called it "the most readable single-volume biography ever written of our seventh president". The New York Times
literary critic Janet Maslin
called it a "carefully analytical biography (which) looks past the theatrics and posturing to the essential elements of Jackson’s many showdowns". Presidential biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin
called American Lion "a beautifully written, absolutely riveting story", and historian Michael Beschloss
called it "a spellbinding, brilliant and irresistible journey (that) shows us how the old hero transformed both the American presidency and the nation he led." When the Pulitzer Prize
jury awarded the book in 2009, it called the prose "agile" and the book an "unflinching portrait".
2008 in literature
The year 2008 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*January 1 - In the 2008 New Year Honours, Hanif Kureishi , Jenny Uglow , Peter Vansittart and Debjani Chatterjee are all rewarded for "services to literature".*June 15 - Gore Vidal, asked in a New York Times...
biography by Jon Meacham
Jon Meacham
Jon Meacham is executive editor and executive vice president at Random House. A former editor of Newsweek and a Pulitzer Prize winning bestselling author and a commentator on politics, history, and religious faith in America, he is a contributing editor to Time magazine and editor-at-large of WNET...
of Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, the seventh President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. It won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Biography
Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
The Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished biography or autobiography by an American author.-1910s:* 1917: Julia Ward Howe by Laura E...
.
Meacham, the editor of Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine, said he named the book American Lion as an attempt "not to lionize Jackson but to capture the contradictions at his core. If he were on your side, he would do all he could to protect you. If he believed you a foe, then he was a ferocious and merciless predator." He chose to write the book because he felt "Jackson represents the best of us and the worst of us", citing Jackson's simultaneous capacity for both kindness and cruelty. Meacham said he sought not to whitewash Jackson or "all his sins, which are enormous", such as his support of slavery and Indian removal
Indian Removal
Indian removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to relocate Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river...
. Meacham said he believes understanding Jackson helps understand the shape of American politics, including popular campaigning techniques, media manipulation
Media manipulation
Media manipulation is an aspect of public relations in which partisans create an image or argument that favours their particular interests. Such tactics may include the use of logical fallacies and propaganda techniques, and often involve the suppression of information or points of view by crowding...
, and engaging citizens in the narrative of politics while simultaneously governing. Meacham said, "All of these features flowered in the age of Jackson, and they all feel very contemporary."
Meacham's book was published within five years of the release of several books about Andrew Jackson by such authors as Sean Wilentz
Sean Wilentz
Robert Sean Wilentz is the Sidney and Ruth Lapidus Professor of History at Princeton University, where he has taught since 1979.-Background:Born in 1951 in New York City, where his father Eli and uncle Ted owned a well-known Greenwich Village bookstore, the Eighth Street Bookshop, Wilentz earned...
, Daniel Walker Howe
Daniel Walker Howe
Daniel Walker Howe is a historian of the early national period of American history and specializes in the intellectual and religious history of the United States. He is Rhodes Professor of American History Emeritus at Oxford University in England and Professor of History Emeritus at the University...
and Andrew Burstein. Robert Roper, an author who reviewed American Lion for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, said Meacham's book did not contest the portraits painted in those books, but rather it "selectively enriches that version with graceful new readings of some formerly overlooked primary materials," including the private papers of members of Jackson's family circle, Most of the previously unpublished correspondence was found in archives at The Hermitage
The Hermitage (Nashville, Tennessee)
The Hermitage is a historical plantation and museum located in Davidson County, Tennessee, USA, east of downtown Nashville. The plantation was owned by Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, from 1804 until his death at the Hermitage in 1845. Jackson only lived at the property...
, Jackson's estate in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. American Lion focuses a great deal on the Bank War
Bank War
The Bank War is the name given to the controversy over the Second Bank of the United States and the attempts to destroy it by President Andrew Jackson. At that time, it was the only nationwide bank and, along with its president Nicholas Biddle, exerted tremendous influence over the nation's...
, the federal tariff on imports, and the Petticoat affair
Petticoat Affair
The Petticoat affair was an 1830–1831 U.S. scandal involving members of President Andrew Jackson's Cabinet and their wives. Although it started over a private matter, it affected the political careers of several men and resulted in the informal "Kitchen Cabinet"...
, of which Meachem claims in his book, "the future of the American presidency was at stake".
American Lion received generally positive reviews. In The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, Douglas Brinkley
Douglas Brinkley
Douglas Brinkley is an American author, professor of history at Rice University and a fellow at the James Baker Institute for Public Policy. Brinkley is the history commentator for CBS News and a contributing editor to the magazine Vanity Fair...
called it "the most readable single-volume biography ever written of our seventh president". The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
literary critic Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
called it a "carefully analytical biography (which) looks past the theatrics and posturing to the essential elements of Jackson’s many showdowns". Presidential biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American biographer and historian, and an oft-seen political commentator. She is the author of biographies of several U.S...
called American Lion "a beautifully written, absolutely riveting story", and historian Michael Beschloss
Michael Beschloss
Michael Richard Beschloss is an American historian. A specialist in the United States presidency, he is the author of nine books.- Early life :...
called it "a spellbinding, brilliant and irresistible journey (that) shows us how the old hero transformed both the American presidency and the nation he led." When the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
jury awarded the book in 2009, it called the prose "agile" and the book an "unflinching portrait".