American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

Andrew Jackson created the modern American presidency as we know it today. A backwoods orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, Jackson ushered in a new era in which the people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics. Democracy made its stand in the Jackson years, and he gave voice to the hopes and fears of a restless, changing nation facing challenging times at home and threats abroad. With his powerful persona and mystical connection to the people, Jackson moved the White House from the periphery of government to the center of national action, where it has remained ever since. Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, he was also the most contradictory of men, forcing the Indians from their native lands yet risking everything to give more power to ordinary citizens. He was, in short, a lot like his country: alternately kind and vicious, brilliant and blind. Drawing on newly discovered family letters and papers, acclaimed author Jon Meacham has delivered the definitive human portrait of a pivotal president who forever changed the American presidency-and America itself.