The Age of Jackson (Back Bay Books (Series)) (alkuperäinen julkaisuvuosi 1945; vuoden 1988 painos)

This book replaces a long section of American history left blank by all the school books I had. I had already read a bio of Jackson years ago, but this book is not about Jackson. It is about that blank period between the War of 1812 and the Civil War. It is primarily a political history of that era which was defined to a large extent by the rise of Andrew Jackson and the Democratic party. It is a hard read, about 10% of which is contained in the footnotes. Sheds a lot of light on how America got from an innocent, largely aristocratic republic to a popular (if not completely enfranchised) democracy ultimately driven into the Civil War. ( )

Witness the progression of Democracy in the formative years of the United States. The era of the Founders is just about over. Some remnants still live and the attitude of the affluent minority tries to influence a government that is truly of the people. Jackson's struggle against Biddle is here in fine detail. The early secession movement of John C. Calhoun is established in Southern political beliefs. The growth westward... All these struggles are explored in wonderful detail, but not so detailed that the reader becomes bored. A terrific history book for the era. ( )

"This book is not a biography of President Andrew Jackson. It is instead a discussion of the developing soul of the United States and the meaning of freedom, and the ongoing unfolding of democracy as we know it." borrowed from Amazon feedbacks

Read this in high school and really loved it. ( )