Andrew Jackson Reading List

 

A good thing about blogging are readers who track down your blog looking for information about something you find interesting.

I’ve made some posts about President Andrew Jackson—who was a friend of Sam Houston—and as a result I get search engine hits from people looking for Andrew Jackson. With that in mind, here are some solid books on Jackson and his times.

Jackson’s leading biographer is Robert Remini. He wrote a three-volume biography of Jackson that is also available condensed into one book. The one volume is a great starting point. The three volume set is still around as well. 

Richard Hofstadter’s classic The American Political Tradtion has a chapter critical of Jackson.

Arthur Schlesinger’s The Age Of Jackson is a Pulitzer Prize winning assessment of Jackson and his times.

A darker take on the same era is found in The Jacksonian Persuasion by Marvin Myers.

Here is the link to the C-Span series on Andrew Jackson that ran in 1999.

Thanks for reading this blog. The more you know about history the better you can understand the present. You’ll also be a more interesting person.

Here is a link to other Texas Liberal posts involving books in one way or another.

Burr, Calhoun, Agnew, Cheney—Who Is Worst Vice President Ever?

Some say our current President is the worst President ever. That could be true.

It may also be so that Vice President Richard Cheney is our nation’s worst Vice President in history. 

Let’s review the candidates for this distinction along with the years each served as Vice President—

Aaron Burr of New York (1801-1805)—While Vice President, Mr. Burr shot and killed founding father Alexander Hamilton in a duel. After leaving office, Mr. Burr would scheme to form a new nation involving the western holdings of the United States. 

John C. Calhoun of South Carolina (1825-1833)—In opposition to tariffs approved by Congress and by President Andrew Jackson, Vice President Calhoun took his native South Carolina to the brink of secession with his false doctrines of interposition and nullification. Later President Jackson would say he regretted not having hung Calhoun.

Spiro Agnew of Maryland (1969-1973)—Mr. Agnew resigned in disgrace for tax evasion while Governor of Maryland. Vice President Agnew was also the right-wing attack dog for President Richard Nixon.

Richard Cheney of Wyoming and Texas (2001-Current)— Mr. Cheney has played a key role in the failed invasion of Iraq. He has advocated a great and unneeded secrecy in government. Mr. Cheney has also claimed that the Vice President is not part of the executive branch.  

My pick–Calhoun