American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House is a 2008 biography of the seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson, written by Jon Meacham. The author states that he named the book American Lion in order to capture the contradictions at Jackson’s core, because if he was on your side he would do all he could to protect you, but if you went against him, he became a ferocious and merciless predator. Regardless of whether he was good or bad, Jackson remains a towering figure in American history.

Andrew Jackson was born in colonial North Carolina. He was orphaned as a teenager and was captured by the British during the Revolutionary War. He grew up a devoted public servant with an ardent sense of patriotism. Lacking formal education, he worked tirelessly to improve his own prospects, becoming a lawyer and then a judge.

After moving to Tennessee, he sought opportunities to serve his fellow citizens. He became Tennessee’s first representative in U.S. Congress in 1796 and later went on to become a U.S. senator.



He also earned his place as a military man, serving in the state’s militia followed by the U.S. Army. In 1815, he led American forces into the Battle of New Orleans, defeating the British and securing his place in American history. He was praised as the greatest military leader since George Washington.

After securing himself as a valiant military leader, he used the praise to garner popular support in national politics. He made a move for the presidency in 1824 but lost his bid, to the surprise of his many supporters, and many who had long been involved at top levels of government.

Finally, he was elected to the country’s highest office in 1828. In spite of his advanced age and health issues, he managed to serve two terms, during which he altered the role of the presidency forever. He moved away from the traditional views of the president as the chief executive for Congress and instead wanted to represent the people at large, giving them power equal to, and sometimes surpassing Congress in determining the fate of the nation.



In American Lion, Meacham focuses on Andrew Jackson’s presidency, providing only a brief summary of his career, from his birth in North Carolina through challenging years in which he established himself as a lawmaker and military leader. Meacham describes Jackson as, first and foremost, a family man. After being orphaned as a child, he valued the concept of family in both his personal and political life.

He had a long and happy marriage to Rachel Donelson, giving him the stable home life he always yearned for, allowing him to face the rigors of life in the field with his troops and in the halls of state and federal legislatures. However, she passed away just months before he was to assume the presidency. In order to fill the void and create a new family for himself, he invited his nephew and niece, Andrew and Emily Donelson, to accompany him to the capital as his personal secretary and hostess.

Meacham goes on to outline Jackson’s struggle to reshape the role of the president. Unlike his six predecessors, Jackson had little use for what he perceived as the untitled aristocracy that had ruled America since the revolution. Entering office, he abhorred patronage and promptly dismissed hundreds of government workers who had been appointed by previous presidents to positions they had assumed to hold for life. Jackson also maintained strong beliefs about the separation of church and state, fighting against legislative efforts by clergymen aiming to make it the exclusive privilege of white Protestant Christians to hold public office.



Jackson was also active in promoting treaties that would remove the Native American population from all lands east of the Mississippi River. Jackson was a committed expansionist who had helped to secure Florida as a U.S. territory when he was still a general in the army.

A supporter of slavery, owning them himself, he was fully committed to preserving this way of life in the south, even though this idea seemed to be in contradiction to his previous statements that all people were equal. He also believed that it was in the Native Americans’ best interest to live separately from other Americans, away from the land that was viewed as desirable to white Americans.

Meacham strives to paint Jackson in a favorable light, however, the darker sides of the man’s character are undeniable. He was known to have a short temper and was full of conviction that he knew what was best for the future of the country. This combination made him a formidable force. His greatest contribution, his unwavering commitment to the idea that the president owes his allegiance to the people of America and not to Congress, transformed the nature of politics in the country forever.