THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE OF ANDREW JACKSON

by Robert V. Remini ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 31, 1976

Anyone who read through Boardman's America and the Jacksonian Era (KR, p. 79, J-31) without grasping just what was at issue in the Bank War or forming any firm opinions about the nature of Jacksonian democracy will appreciate this excellent, highly concentrated essay. Remini, a specialist who has written five books about the era, uses Jackson's personal confrontations--with his Vice President Calhoun, with Henry Clay, with banker Nicholas Biddle--to spotlight major issues such as the Spoils System, Nullification and Jackson's broad redefinition of Presidential power. Remini is generally sympathetic toward Jackson and believes that the cause of democracy advanced during his years in power; however, he shows why other historians disagree and points out some ironic and tragid side effects: it was this same ""democracy"" which set the stage for Indian Removal and the ascendancy of the President over Congress. Remini includes enough character-revealing anecdotes to keep the analysis from sliding into abstraction and his discussion of the issues is crisp and exciting. He even includes a bibliographical essay which clues the reader in to historians' debates and encourages him to do some independent thinking. Altogether, a model of engaged and uncompromising YA history.

Pub Date: March 31, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1976

Categories: NONFICTION