Jackson, Andrew

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Andrew Jackson
WAS ANDREW JACKSON AMERICA'S LAST POPULIST PRESIDENT?
Andrew Jackson
Good Summary of a Complex Person and Time
A new notch in Old Hickory

Andrew Jackson
Sean Wilentz
Manufacturer: Times Books - Henry Holt and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0805069259
Release Date: 2005-12-27

Book Description

The Founding Fathers espoused a republican government, but they were distrustful of the common people, having designed a constitutional system that would temper popular passions. But as the revolutionary generation passed from the scene in the 1820s, a new movement, based on the principle of broader democracy, gathered force and united behind Andrew Jackson, the charismatic general who had defeated the British at New Orleans and who embodied the hopes of ordinary Americans. Raising his voice against the artificial inequalities fostered by birth, station, monied power, and political privilege, Jackson brought American politics into a new age. Sean Wilentz, one of Americas leading historians of the nineteenth century, recounts the fiery career of this larger-than-life figure, a man whose high ideals were matched in equal measure by his failures and moral blind spots, a man who is remembered for the accomplishments of his eight years in office and for the bitter enemies he made. It was in Jacksons time that the great conflicts of American politicsurban versus rural, federal versus state, free versus slavecrystallized, and Jackson was not shy about taking a vigorous stand. It was under Jackson that modern American politics began, and his legacy continues to inform our debates to the present day.

Customer Reviews:

Andrew Jackson.......2007-06-14

Nice book and an easy read. Not very much depth, but well written and informative. I would recommend to the casual reader, but not any historian.

WAS ANDREW JACKSON AMERICA'S LAST POPULIST PRESIDENT?.......2007-02-26

Today's historians are still in a quandary on why Andrew Jackson, the Seventh President of the United States and one of this nation's greatest leaders, was a man of complete contradictions in his public life.

Was he the populist politician who championed the rights of all citizens in the growing republic, yet owned slaves to do the hard work on his own property?

Was he the grandiose dictator who tried to crush his political enemies whom he viewed as elitist or just a man from the working class battling those seeking to dominate the masses?

Was he the brilliant military genius who defeated the British in the War of 1812 for America's only major victory in that ill-conceived conflict against England? Or was he the racist extremist who conquered the Indian Tribes and removed them from their homelands in the south because it was good for his own political career?

Was he all of that and more?

Sean Wilentz is a Professor of History at Princeton University and has written a new examination of Jackson in `The American Presidents' series that are published by Times Books which are edited by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. Schlesinger had previously written about the famed chief executive sixty years ago in the Pulitzer Prize winning biography `The Age of Jackson.'

Wilentz tries to explain in the brief 195 page tome those many contradictions of the Tennessee military commander nicknamed `Old Hickory' for his toughness who is generally accepted as one of our nation's top half-dozen greatest presidents.

Jackson served as chief executive from 1829 to 1837, when America was transitioning from having leaders who had participated in the Revolutionary War and the immediate years after to those politicians who would serve in the two decades leading up to our nation's civil war. Jackson was a soldier in America's struggle for independence against the British in his early teens, earning a scar on his head when he was struck by a sword belonging to a British officer and is the only American president to ever have been a prisoner of war.

His greatest military triumph came in January, 1815; albeit two months after the War of 1812 had officially ended with a peace treaty signing, when troops under his command defeated an invading force of British soldiers twice their size landing near the southern port city of New Orleans, Louisiana. He then spent a few years in battle with several of the Indian tribes in the southern states which culminated in those tribes' relocation to the Midwest part of the country that came to be known as `The Trail of Tears.'

Jackson first ran for president in 1824 and got the highest tally of popular votes in the election. But none of the multiple candidates running that year were able to get a majority of the Electoral College votes to claim victory. The contest was then decided in the House of Representatives where runner-up John Quincy Adams was selected as the new chief executive after he made a deal with third-place candidate Henry Clay to gain his votes in exchange for Clay being promised the job of Secretary of State.

Jackson was livid on what happened to him that year and vowed revenge against what he considered to be the thievery by those politicians belonging to the New England aristocracy he so hated.

He ran again in 1828 and soundly defeated Adams in a re-match. But that victory turned bitter sweet when his wife Rachel died a few weeks before the March, 1837 inauguration which the president-elect believed was caused by stress when his political enemies spoke ill of her and her marriage to Jackson before her divorce to another man became final.

Wilentz writes that once in office, Jackson was a champion of the concept of the republic, meaning the will of the majority ruled while he attempted to re-structure the functions of national government into how he believed it should operate.

Modern pundits complain that today's politicians can be nasty and uncivil towards each other in their rancorous discussions on the issues of the day. But today's media sound bite zingers are tepid and restrained compared to how those of the different political parties and viewpoints treated each other two centuries ago when many disagreements ended with the two participants settling their feud with a duel.

The political opponents of the president referred to Jackson as ruling like a king or dictator, since the new chief executive did his best to re-tool the government into a bureaucracy of his liking such as making multiple changes in his cabinet to get those advisors he desired and would do what he wanted. The colloquial phrase `to the victor goes the spoils,' refers to Jackson's selection of those political supporters of his choosing into specific national government posts to do his bidding.

Jackson considered himself to be a man of honor and believed his words and those spoken by others to be a reflection of their firm beliefs. That's why he terminated the relationship with John Calhoun, his own vice-president, in 1832 when he determined the South Carolina politician had crossed him when Calhoun supported that state's desire to secede from the union in seeking nullification of certain laws over keeping the union together.

Calhoun resigned as vice-president, the first national officer to do so, got himself appointed as a senator from South Carolina while that state made plans to secede from the union if the federal government continued to demand its share of taxes through tariffs. Jackson mobilized federal troops to send into that state and let it be known that he would publicly hang his former vice-president if cessation plans went forth.

They didn't.

Compare that to today's politicians who say or do anything to keep their particular electorate happy, even it will hurt the nation in the long-term as long as it keeps them being re-elected.

Jackson also hated bankers and the concept of paper money that's not based on gold or silver. He closed down the Second Bank of the United States, (today's version of the Federal Reserve) and paid off the national debt in 1835 which endeared him to the masses. So it is with much irony that his image ended up on our twenty dollar bill, the most popular American paper currency that is issued by today's Federal Reserve Bank which is privately owned and makes a profit from the public debt that increases every year and has no chance of ever being paid off.

Wilentz states that Jackson put the nation on the road to true democracy for all the people, although the democracy he believed in is not what we have today because that process evolved over time with the work of the many presidents who would follow.

By the end of Jackson's second term, his popularity and large group of supporters across the country helped to start the creation of the modern Democratic Party and he was able through his influence to get his second vice-president, Martin Van Buren, elected to the presidency in 1836. Jackson's own political beliefs also led to the formation of the political parties movement when the Whig Party, mainly composed of those politicians who opposed Jackson on just about everything during his time in office, was created in 1834. They lasted for twenty years until it was replaced by the Republican Party in 1856 for the continuation of the two major political party system this nation still has today.

Can it be considered unfair for those of us now alive two centuries later to judge Jackson and the other early 19th Century presidents on their stands regarding personal liberty when slavery was still prevalent to today's standards of freedom for all citizens? Yes. But that's not Jackson's fault. He made the decisions he believed on what was best for the country's long-term survival without compromise to any special interest group seeking favors for their particular cause to the detriment of the nation as a whole.

What politician of today can make that same claim?

Andrew Jackson.......2007-01-09

Clear and consise prose; well documented; theories of future effects well substantiated.

Good Summary of a Complex Person and Time.......2006-04-20

He's on most lists of our best presidents as well as our $20 bill. Democrats hail him as a founder. After reading this book, and attempting a few others, it's still hard to understand why Jackson has been accorded such respect.

I started both the Brand and Remini bios. Through them I came to understand his childhood and how the American Revolution shaped his character and views. The psychological toll of losing his nuclear family at a young age had to be enormous. His mother's heroic search and rescue of him in a very abusive British POW camp illustrates the love and family loyalty he lost.

Wilentz quickly outlines the child/youth/military and plunges into the presidency, which was what I was seeking when I started reading the others.

Wilentz cleary states the complicated facts of Jackson's war on the bank. To Jackson it was a war on the aristrocracy. It is not within the scope of Wilentz's book to editorialize, but were Biddle and his cronies really controling the US economy? Could the land issues have been settled with (Lincolnesque) homestead acts, which undoubtedly would have been very popular? Could he have fought for legislative mini-changes (Clintonesque) to curb certain powers, such as bidding out government banking needs. Jackson and Biddle were clearly obstinate equals, but as Pres, it would seem that there were other paths to take leadership on this since he deemed it important. How necessary and/or effective was this bank war? Did it really save the "little guy" in the short or long run?

In his tooth and nail fight on nullification, Jackson may have been as instrumental as Lincoln in holding the union together. Jackson's stand against nullification not only solidified the sentiment for his day, but also built precedent for future times. This and stopping the British in New Orleans, may be worthy of his stature among historians, Democrats and currency commemoration but, they don't explain the genesis of the phrase "Jacksonian Democracy".

From admitedly limited knowledge, I still don't see enough to assign this man's name as an adjective to democracy. The author alludes to the changing of executive staff and to a future unfolding of more direct elections of public officials. I assume, in the nature of things, appointment prerogative would have evolved, but where is the chapter on how AJ worked on behalf of more direct election? Are not the Trail of Tears and his actions on behalf of those supporting slavery anti-democratic endeavors? I still don't see how the war on the bank, which admittedly has "little guy" overtones, balances all this out.

A new notch in Old Hickory.......2006-01-07

I was fully prepared to dislike this book, but I bought it because of my continued enjoyment of the American Presidents series. My dislike would have been inspired by some of Professor Wilentz's comments regarding contemporary public policy. But once again, he fooled me. His comments on Jackson are insightful, he puts him in the right historical context, does not shy away from the unflattering, and is not given to making moral judgments based on modern attitudes regarding Jackson's sometimes appalling stances and statements.
I still think Professor Wilentz makes a few assumptions about Jackson's views re: the Constitution and what the government owes the individual, but he is not nearly as dogmatic as I would have guessed. Overall, a worthy introduction to the president and a handsome addition to the series.

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Will It Ever End?
Fun and Educational Read
his own man...
Great History...
Altogether Excellent

Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times
H.W. Brands
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1400030722
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Book Description

In this, the first major single-volume biography of Andrew Jackson in decades, H.W. Brands reshapes our understanding of this fascinating man, and of the Age of Democracy that he ushered in.

An orphan at a young age and without formal education or the family lineage of the Founding Fathers, Jackson showed that the Presidency was not the exclusive province of the wealthy and the well-born but could truly be held by a man of the people. On a majestic, sweeping scale Brands re-creates Jackson’s rise from his hardscrabble roots to his days as frontier lawyer, then on to his heroic victory in the Battle of New Orleans, and finally to the White House. Capturing Jackson’s outsized life and deep impact on American history, Brands also explores his controversial actions, from his unapologetic expansionism to the disgraceful Trail of Tears. This is a thrilling portrait, in full, of the president who defined American democracy.

Customer Reviews:

Will It Ever End?.......2007-07-08

After reading biographies by such stalwarts as David McCullough and Doris Kearns Goodwin, this one was a big disappointment. It plods along for 560 pages. Far too much detail; the book could have been much shorter. Tiny type size makes the book seem even longer.

Fun and Educational Read.......2007-06-09

Every other man to serve in the White House must be seen as only "half a man" by comparison. Anyone who could fight so many hand-to-hand combats and duels, so successfully lead men into battle, suffer such wounds, British imprisonment, risk everything for the love of a woman, singlehandedly turn the tide of of the War of 1812, hold the nation together and bring, for the first time, true democracy to Washington, deserves the admiration of every American. Jackson's life could so easily be brought to the big screen to remind all of us why this great Republic represents mankind's last great chance on this planet.

his own man..........2007-04-26

Seventh president, hero of the War of 1812, military leader in the Indian wars. When he took an American Army to New Orleans in anticipation of the English landing there, he was surrounded by citizens who had not sworn their loyalty to America. He stood before them and challenged "either stand with us or against us". Old Hickory was as tough as they come and this wonderful book will fill in so many details that you didn't know about Mr. Jackson. He was the first American president who had been a prisoner of war. He stood on principle and eschewed weakness. One of our finest.

Great History..........2007-04-18

The book is incredibly well written. There is much more information on Jackson's earlier life that I would have expected (though that may be a nieve assumption). Also, if you're interested, Brands includes enough detail of other events during this part of American history that enables the reader to better understand the aspects that specificaly involve Jackson. It really is a great book.

Altogether Excellent.......2007-04-18

I have made it a point to read as much about Andrew Jackson as I possibly can for the simple reason that Andy Jackson and the Jacksonian period he launched, did as much to define America as we know it today as any other period during the first 70 years of American history. Participating in the Revolutionary War, the emergence of Tennessee, the War of 1812, the Era of Good feelings, and, through his Texas policy, Manifest Destiny, Jackson remolded, reshaped and democratized the United States from 1812 through 1840.

H.W. Brands is a gifted writer who is at the top of his game in this particular work. His ability to place the events of Jackson's life in context with what was happening not only in the United States but also in Europe delivers what has to be the finest single volume history on Andrew Jackson's life to date.

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Newly discovered letter from 1834 discusses the censure of Andrew Jackson
Setting The Record Straight: Remini, Jackson and the Spoils System
Nice and Concise!
A courageous and admirable American hero brought to life
as advertised

The Life of Andrew Jackson
Robert V. Remini
Manufacturer: American Political Biography Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0945707347

Book Description

The classic one-volume biography of Andrew Jackson

Robert V. Remini's prizewinning, three-volumn biography, The Life of Andrew Jackson, won the National Book Award upon it's completion in 1984. Now, Remini captures the essence of the life and career of the seventh president of the United States in the meticulously crafted single-volume abridgement.

Customer Reviews:

Newly discovered letter from 1834 discusses the censure of Andrew Jackson.......2006-03-26

This is an excellent book, as are all of Professor Remini's books. They are thorough and very easy to read which lends to the excitement of learning history. Recently I purchased a letter from 1834 which refers to the censure of Andrew Jackson. I'm not sure how to contact Professor Remini, but I think he would be very much interested in reading this letter. It was written on April 18, 1834, by Rufus McIntire (1784-1866), City of Washington, and sent to William A. Hayes, South Berwick, Maine, about 21 days after the censure was passed by the Senate. I'll quote sections from this letter, hoping to inspire students of history to read Professor Remini's books.

"You will probably see the Presidents message of protest &c to the Senate which has put that dignified body on the defence & in a passion. They evidently see that the issue is against them unless they can turn it on some collateral issue or some deduced assumption of principles abstractedly from some part of the message. Mr. Leigh has spoken today in which he has shown very clearly that he has not the experience & tact of a politician. He has lived too long in Virginia ever to extend his views beyond the limits & local circumstances of his State except what he gets from books generally of European history & politics. He labored hard today to explain the resolution against which the President protests & says it means no such censure on the President as he supposes. The opposition generally is the Senate manifested as much dissatisfaction with the speech as with the message. Benj Hardin of Ken. of the House - talented & coarse man of the opposition - remarked that of all great men he had ever seen Mr Leigh is the smallest. Mr Leighs defence is the opposite of that set up yesterday by Mr South and who with a harsh'hood & effrontery that shocked every body declared that the resolution was passed as the foundation & basis of legislation. This is in contradiction not only to its language & import but in flat contradiction to every avowal while under discussion. In answer to the objection to its passage as a naked censure without any legislative effect it was urged not that any other legislation was contemplated but upon the duty of the Secy of the Treasury to restore the deposits after this expression that their removal was not approved by both branches. If that alone had been the object - simple expression that they advised to a restorative or disapproved of this removal would have been sufficient."

"Today being, one of those days for private business in the House, has been literally wasted in attempts to get up the appropriation bill & to introduce various resolutions & a call of the House in consequence. The House adjourned at rather an early hour there being so much excitement that there did not appear to be any prospect of business or any good done by continuing longer in Session. Mr Wise attempted to introduce a set of resolutions on the subject of the powers of Congress over the money in the Treasury intended to negative some supposed deduction [declaration?] of principle, contained in the Presidents message - and failing gave notice he should offer them every day during the Session or till recessed - Mr Peytre gave notice also that whenever they were received he should move a substitute by way of amendment of ???? declaring the late vote of the Senate, censuring the President in an impeachable matter alone belonging to the House as the impeaching power, an usurpation & assumption of the prerogatives of the House of Reps by the Senate. So you see the battle is but begun."

"The opposition here speak confidently of carrying Maine at the next election. King is to be candidate f[or] Governor & he says the Jeffersonians will be out against the administration shortly & only delays at present for the sake of saving Mitchell. Is King correct in his avowal & his letters - (letter at least -) to one of his opposition in regard to the Jeffersonians & if so will Mr Seaver go with it? I am pleased with the present appearance of the Ags - It is what I expected - hoped at least but from the complexion of the Jeffersonians I feared would not be seen. A short time must disclose the views of our politicians. I regret to learn so many of our Portland friends are in favor of a national Bank - or rather at present think proper to express it. No other than the constitutional ground will enable us to defeat the ???? of the Bank - all the South who ???? constitutional objections if a bank is to be chartered prefer the old to a new one with like provisions - I can say no more at present but must close - "

Setting The Record Straight: Remini, Jackson and the Spoils System.......2006-03-14

Few Americans have won the mythical status enjoyed by Andrew Jackson. Often portrayed, in his day and since, as the champion of the common man, Jackson came to Washington as an outsider, the first President born outside the thirteen original states, indeed the first president born neither in Virginia nor Massachusetts. Throughout Jackson historiography, Jackson via his policy of `rotation' in office has been accused of instituting the spoils system in American politics. This criticism highlights how Whig myths have come to permeate the historical writing on this subject.

Starting with James Parton in 1860, anti-Jackson historians have followed this criticism, blaming Jackson for replacing a supposed merit system with a partisanship that corrupted the civil service for generations. Despite further research since Jackson's time, many historians have uncritically repeated these accusations without examining the actual record of appointments during the presidency unhappily described by some as "The Reign of Andrew Jackson".

There have been essentially four cycles of studies into the life and Presidency of Andrew Jackson. The first cycle began soon after the death of Jackson with the "liberal patrician" or "Whig" school, who were generally unfavourable towards the policy of rotation. Most familiar is James Parton's classic The "Life of Andrew Jackson". So critical of rotation was Parton that he stated "this single feature of his administration would suffice to render it deplorable rather than admirable." Other members of the "Whig" school include Sumner, Schouler and Von Holst, all very critical of Jackson's policy of rotation. Parton's biography was the standard source on the Jacksonian era, until the second cycle represented by the Progressive Historians, such as John Spencer Bassett's "The Life of Andrew Jackson (1911), which cast Jackson in somewhat of a different light. Bassett reduces the amount of blame put on Jackson for rotation by suggesting that his democratic views made him oblivious to unintentional dangers from partisan appointments. However, the Progressives shared with the Whigs the view that Jackson had brought a spoils system to national politics and that its effects were negative.

Historians in the third cycle of Jacksonian studies, of which Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.'s "The Age of Jackson" (1945) served as a pivotal work, shifted attention away from Jackson himself towards larger forces in his era. Historians of the third cycle, such as Hofstadter and Hammond, debated the effects of class and culture in determining party differences while showing little interest in evaluating Jackson's rotation policy, though tending to criticise it briefly. No biographies of Jackson discussed the policy of rotation in depth during the next thirty years.

The appearance of Robert V. Remini's three-volume biography of Jackson marked the start of the fourth cycle of interpretation. Based on modern scholarship, Remini covers all aspects of Jackson's life and career, demonstrating his contribution to the great developments of nineteenth century America, particularly empire, freedom and democracy. By returning to first hand sources, Remini shows that the policy of rotation in office has been exaggerated and misunderstood. However, having set himself the remarkable task of producing a thorough study of the life and Presidency of Jackson, Remini did not have the scope for a detailed re-interpretation and re-evaluation of rotation. Since Remini's work there have been many scholarly works on Jackson, but none offer an in-depth reassessment of rotation as touched upon by Remini.

Remini states that Jackson has received a disproportionate share of the blame for the spoils system and that there is a need to disprove the Whig myths, which have come to permeate the historical writings of historians over the generations. Remini was not the first to stress the need for such a revision; in fact a similar plea was expressed by J.R. Poinsett in the "Oration on the life and character of Andrew Jackson, delivered July 4, 1845" when he stated about Jackson, "His instinctive love of justice... gave a high tone to his government and exalted the honor of his country. His hatred of corruption rendered his administration pure.... I will content myself with expressing my belief that in future time the impartial historian will justify both his motives and his conduct on this trying occasion.

Remini offers the reader a great insight into the pioneering mind of one of America's greatest Presidents.

[The above Review is taken in part from 'Andrew Jackson's policy of 'Rotation in Office' by Alexander Rayden. © Copyright 2005 Alexander Rayden, All Rights Reserved].

Nice and Concise!.......2006-03-10

This particular version of Professor Remini's "Life of Andrew Jackson" is a condensation of 3 previous volumes into one highly readable edition. It is just right for those desiring a concise and compact biography of our seventh President without an overload of information and detail. It prominently features the political battles and infighting of the 2 Jackson Administrations, (1828-1836). A prime example is AJ's monumental efforts to dismantle his primary bete noir, The Bank of the United States. Professor Remini also introduces his readers to other key political faces of the early 19th Century as Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams, and "The Magician", future President Martin van Buren. Congress elected Adams President when no candidate secured a majority of electoral votes in the election of 1824. That drove AJ to run for the White House in 1828. Many Americans, including this reviewer, first learned of AJ because of his military exploits. These include his drives against the Indian tribes in Alabama, his expulsion of Spain from Florida and his great victory over the Brits at the Battle of New Orleans in early 1815. That ended the War of 1812. One has to credit the author for accentuating the significance of that conflict, which pushed England off America's back once and for all. One also has to acknowledge Remini for decent maps of AJ's key military battles: Inadequate maps are a sore point with this reader! There are some weaknesses herein: The tone of LAJ is jointly pedantic and fawning. The maps of AJ's territorial additions to the United States are poor and the typesetting is amateurish. Someone forgot to use the space bar. Folks with bifocals will be challenged! Despite the foregoing carping, LAJ is recommended for earnest readers of American history. The author deserves honors for condensing the life of a very prominent 19th century American President and military hero. It's unlikely Remini hired the typesetter! (A closing note: This reviewer visited the Battle of New Orleans site as a tourist. Remini's account of the battle versus that of the Park Service guide are starkly divergent! This reviewer favors the Professor's version of events but it seems strange that the events of that day in 1815 remain in dispute).

A courageous and admirable American hero brought to life.......2005-11-11

If Walt Disney had made a television series based on the life of America's seventh president rather than Davy Crockett, no one would have complained. As portrayed in ANDREW JACKSON: His Life and Times, H.W. Brands offers plenty of action and patriotism to create a compelling "show."

Jackson's is a rags-to-riches story, as was that of many of our early leaders. Born into poverty and orphaned at an early age, Jackson was a fighter since he was a preteen. His early experiences in participating in the fight for independence are harrowing and reminiscent of Mel Gibson's film The Patriot.

Even when he wasn't officially at war, Jackson was not what one would call a man of words. His tenderness toward his wife, Rachel, is shockingly contradicted by the ease with which he would frequently lose his temper; he took umbrage often and found himself enmeshed in numerous feuds and duels.

Jackson's courage under fire was an inspiration to those who fought under him, particularly at the Battle of New Orleans (as if he needed any help, Jackson's victory was immortalized in a hit song by Johnny Horton in the late 1950s).

Brands does a wonderful job explaining political concepts that easily could be deathly dull. He also manages to facilely explain the myriad treaties and alliances (both national and individual) among the British, French, Spanish, and several tribes of Native Americans. The author makes liberal use of letters about life in the States in general, and General Jackson in particular, to emphasize his points without a perception of "lecturing."

Jackson's military success coupled with his love for America augured well in his political aspirations. A real "man of the people," Jackson earned the admiration (not to mention the votes) of his countrymen, helping him to win two terms as president.

Despite the heft of this new biography on "Old Hickory," Brands makes it come to life with a combination of action-packed heroics, massive amounts of research, and a fluid, easy-to-take writing style. Anyone can state facts and try to paint a picture of the "life and times" of any "fill-in-the-blank." The trick is to make it informative without being dull, a feat that Brands pulls off admirably.

If I were a student of history at the University of Texas at Austin, where Brands teaches, I would demand him as my professor. If he can bring all of his curriculum to life as he does in ANDREW JACKSON, he can inspire any of his charges to follow in his footsteps.

--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan [...]

as advertised.......2005-10-07

superb, concise version of the original three volume set. well worth the money.

Average customer rating:

This system works to a point
Heavy stuff here

Gurps Powers, Fourth Edition
Sean Punch , and Phil Masters
Manufacturer: Steve Jackson Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1556347421

Product Description

Save the World . . . or Destroy It! GURPS Powers is the ultimate book for the ultimate characters in the new Fourth Edition of GURPS! Here's everything you need to create every kind of amazing, off-the-chart superhero you can imagine . . . as well as amazing wizards, wuxia fighters, shamans who command spirits . . . even gods! Written by GURPS Line Editor and Fourth Edition co-author Sean Punch, GURPS Powers introduces some new rules, but it is mostly about using the rules that are already in the GURPS Basic Set to cover superpowered characters, megawizards, and earth-shattering psionics. GURPS Powers also include guidelines for "special effects" and several different ways to vary a power on the fly -- two crucial concepts for comic-book superheroics. GURPS Powers is a Fourth Edition GURPS book that completely replaces the Third Edition books GURPS Supers and GURPS Psionics. Like our other Fourth Edition supplements, it's a gorgeous 240-page, full-color hardback. If you've got a high-powered campaign . or high-powered players . you want GURPS Powers!

Customer Reviews:

This system works to a point.......2006-12-15

I just ran a GURPS Powers campaign, where we went through several adventures using the system detailed in this book.

The players were very pleased with the system, and we had a lot of fun for several months. After each adventure, I would award them with a few character points, to allow them to buff up their characters. The idea was to start the campaign with characters about as powerful as the X-Men, and to gradually develop them until they were about as powerful as members of the Fantastic Four, which is of course, a much more powerful group.

As the players grew their characters, I compensated by raising the point totals of their opponents. This worked for a while, until some of the damage totals from energy attacks became so high that the heroes who used energy damage became much more powerful than the slugfest types, who used their fists instead of energy blasts.

It got to the point where if an energy blast hit someone, they were reduced very far in hit points and the combat didn't really resemble a comic book like setting. I have to wonder how much playtesting the makers of this book really did.

All flaws aside, it is a very comprehensive system with a rich array of powers and ways to build a super hero character. In fact, the possibilities are almost endless. You can create a character like Superman, Wolverine, The Hulk, The Human Torch, etc. Everything is there, with the usual point system that GURPS is famous for. This also means that you can link up campaigns of super heroes with other campaigns, as all of the rules are pretty much the same.

We then attempted to create a campaign which resembled the "Dragonball Z" comic book series. We tried to build a frieza character with 1-million points, just to see what he would be like. I found that at these astronomical totals, the entire system would have to be overhauled in order to have the types of battles depicted in the comic books. Otherwise, you would have characters instantly killing anyone with less than say, 50,000 hit points (by using either a high powered energy attack or a series of multiple attacks with their 50,000 point strength).

Heavy stuff here.......2006-08-21

I had real problems deciding whether or not to buy this book. The biggest stumbling block was the lack of information about the book from anybody besides SJ Games. What would I be getting for my hard-earned money? SJ Games tried to help by showing some pages on their website but they didn't help me make up my mind because I just couldn't get a good feel for what the book was about. I finally decided to buy the book because I'm contemplating running a campaign with Psionic and/or Super powers and this book seemed to cover those topics in greater depth than the basic books did and I've had good experiences with the previous books in this series.

Now that I've read the book I can see why people have been reluctant to try to describe it. GURPS Powers is very much more than a simple repackaging of the 3rd edition of GURPS Supers and GURPS Psionics. The authors have put considerable thought into the whole concept of "Powers" (what they are, what they can do, why they exist, etc.) for all roleplaying genres and have developed a radical new structure for how to implement them within the GURPS rules without doing more than adding a few enhancements to the existing system. This is a truly astonishing accomplishment and frankly I don't have the skill as a reviewer to do justice to their work but I will try anyway.

The first couple of chapters lay the groundwork of their basic concepts, it's necessary to at least skim through these details but it's pretty dry stuff and leaves the reader wondering why they bought the book. Then chapter 3 (Examples) starts to weave the whole meaning of their work together in a very readable fashion and things start to fall into place. The book gets better and better from that point forward.

The key to their revolutionary thinking (and I don't have near enough space here to explain it at length) is that most roleplaying games have some sort of extra-ordinary powers at work. This could be cybernetic, psionic, magic, gods; the list is pretty near endless. These extra-ordinary powers are frequently the key to making the game enjoyable for the players. What would Banestorm be without magic? Or most of the Infinite Worlds without the super-science and dimension-crawling aspects? Would "Carrie" be as interesting if the protagonist could only play practical jokes on her tormenters?

Stepping forward from there, the authors show how to use their theories to create new roleplaying worlds or enhance existing ones. How about creating a mage who has superpowers rather than spells? In many ways that works better for simulating some author's magic systems than the standard "wizards cast spells" model that GURPS Magic uses.

The strange thing that kept occuring to me as I read this book was that I couldn't figure out who was the intended audience for this book. Although it is very interesting and useful for generating super-powered characters, the lack of new abilities means that the book isn't absolutely necessary. On the other hand, this book is an absolute must-have for any GM who is contemplating a campaign with anything more exotic than historical or modern adventuring. But the book is almost exploding with good ideas for generating new characters...

One of the things I've already assimilated from the book is that, as with all GURPS 4th edition books, the GM needs to carefully decide what level of complexity they are willing to tolerate and stick with it. There was an example in the book of what a group of Supers needed to do to move 10 tons of concrete rubble that left me completely in the dark. Not because the example wasn't clear, it was perfectly clear, I just couldn't figure out why anybody would want to go through so much paperwork in their roleplaying.

Although this is true of GURPS in general, it is particularly true of Powers because of the implications of superpowered roleplaying. It's obvious that a sword can parry a mace, but Mr. GM, can a flamebolt parry a laser beam? The players are all looking at you and want a reasonable answer as soon as possible.

As the authors point out, modern science is frequently not useful in answering superpowered rules questions so consistency on the part of the GM is vital. One of the most important parts of the book is a couple of chapters that help the GM think through the implications of their decisions BEFORE they will occur in play. This is a godsend and is easily worth the price of the book by itself.

Another valuable section of the book assists the GM in figuring out how powers will affect their campaigns and helps the GM to find interesting plots that will keep the players coming back for more. The final section of the book briefly discusses nearly all genres that use powers and the conventions that govern playing in them. Although I thought I knew most of them, I found enough interesting material to keep me going for a surprisingly long time.

I haven't looked at the index simply because the book is superbly well organized and I don't think I'll have any problems finding anything I'd need to know on short notice. The authors have made excellent use of color to help organize the information and highlight important items. My only quibbles are that the artwork is somewhat lacking in both creativity and quantity and there are fewer roleplaying examples than I'd like, I find the examples to be extremely useful in understanding the points the authors are trying to make.

In conclusion, this isn't an easy book to comprehend but is well worth the reader's time if they are willing to invest enough of it.

Integrated Physics and Calculus, Volume 1

Average customer rating:

A+ Book....Phenomenal!!!
Not a bad idea at all!
Finally a book with a balance between conceptual understanding and mathematical modeling
Required reading for math and physics majors.
Very good book

Integrated Physics and Calculus, Volume 1
Andrew Rex , and Martin Jackson
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Introductory Physics with Calculus (as a Second Language ) Mastering Problem-Solving
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Portable TA: A Physics Problem Solving Guide, Volume II

ASIN: 0201473968

Customer Reviews:

A+ Book....Phenomenal!!!.......2006-12-29

Best book if you want to self-educate yourself advanced math and physics. Starts where high school left off. Seamless integration of math and physics topics. Lucid, I repeat LUCID, explanation of concepts that other writers seem to dress up in incomprehensible thickets of verbiage in the guise of 'rigor'. In contrast, this particular book's authors come from the traditions of Feynman...the 'great man for clear explanations' Congratulations on a job well done!!!

Not a bad idea at all!.......2005-08-16

I very much like the idea to integrate Physics and Calculus, because these two are really related to each other. Calculus was `discovered' by Newton, as a tool to make the foundations of modern physics. So you see they are really connected.
The book does not need a lot of background (only a little about limits and derivatives) and is excellent for people out Belgium who have finished there ASO.
The text is easy readable, but you will not find any "cool" photo's or coloured drawings, but I don't mind that at all!
I think the text is really aimed at people with in interest in Physics. For them this book is just great. But for people who are rather interested in mathematics, I think they will sometimes get frustrated with the book because sometimes (important) proves are let out to improve readability and focus on the more physical side of the subject they are dealing with.

Finally a book with a balance between conceptual understanding and mathematical modeling.......2005-08-06

It can't be said how many times I've read reviews with ecstatic ratings for some particular physics book. Usually I find the books reviewed are overly formal in their arguments and depend primarily on mathematical arguments. You might see the punchline coming. Unfortunately there is not a balancing of the approach by books emphasizing mostly a conceptual approach. They don't seem to exist if you exclude the popular press. As a rule books "for teaching" cannot be accepted as serious enough if they provide a mostly conceptual approach.(Actually, I don't think erring on the opposite side, i.e. underemphising math, is good either but you'd think we could err on one side as much as the other.)

This text is a pleasure to read. For those of us who prefer a coneptual understanding along with the mathematical modeling this book can't be beat. It hits a near perfect balance between the two approaches. Its the underdog that just keeps giving.

Required reading for math and physics majors........2003-12-23

It was always my philosophy that a student should complete the
first two semesters of calculus before beginning physics at the
calculus level. I felt it was too much to ask that a student have
to tackle beginning calculus and physics at the same time. There is nothing as helpful to learning physical science as a good foundation in mathematics. I took this as irrefutable and never
thought I would change my mind. Today I received both volumes of
this set. I have been looking at these books for about twelve hours and I can't believe how well the authors have seamlessly woven together calculus theory with physics theory at the first year level. If you are a student taking physics and calculus you must have these books. There isn't enough space here to do
justice to these books. If you are a real math or physics major
it will only take you 15 minutes to realize what you are looking
at. If you had AP Calculus and AP Physics you will be in for a
treat. These books are a great academic and teaching achievement and should be required reading for all calculus and physics teachers as well.

Very good book.......2002-07-07

This book is 1 of 2 which make a set. These two books are good as they are presented in black and white with a systematic layout. This is a great step away from normal university textbooks which are rehashed constantly, due to the commercialism which permeates our society, making them convoluted at times and full of irrelevant text and colorful images etc. Most of these textbooks shouldn't be allowed in our classrooms. This book didn't get five stars as some concepts and examples don't have relevant graphs and models presented which would make learning easier (especially the formulation of the surface integral). All in all this is the best calculus/physics book I've found so far. It is important to download the errata as some mistakes are present within: ...

Average customer rating:

Great story but why all the repetition?
Ho-Hum Alternate History
Truly irresistible
Good alternate history of the War of 1812
An alternative venture in the War of 1812

1812: The Rivers of War
Eric Flint
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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1824: The Arkansas War
1635: Cannon Law (Ring of Fire)
1634: The Baltic War
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Grantville Gazette II

ASIN: 0345465687
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Book Description

Eric Flint’s acclaimed 1634: The Galileo Affair was a national bestseller from one of the most talked-about voices in his field. Now, in this extraordinary new alternate history, Flint begins a dramatic saga of the North American continent at a dire turning point, forging its identity and its future in the face of revolt from within, and attack from without.

In the War of 1812, U.S. troops are battling the British on the Canadian border, even as a fierce fight is being waged against the Creek followers of the Indian leader Tecumseh and his brother, known as The Prophet. In Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte’s war has become a losing proposition, and the British are only months away from unleashing a frightening assault on Washington itself. Fateful choices are being made in the corridors of power and on the American frontier. As Andrew Jackson, backed by Cherokee warriors, leads a fierce attack on the Creek tribes, his young republic will soon need every citizen soldier it can find.

What if–at this critical moment–bonds were forged between men of different races and tribes? What if the Cherokee clans were able to muster an integrated front, and the U.S. government faced a united Indian nation bolstered by escaping slaves, freed men of color, and even influential white allies?

Through the remarkable adventures of men who were really there–men of mixed race, mixed emotions, and a singular purpose–The Rivers of War carries us in this new direction, brilliantly transforming an extraordinary chapter of American history.

With a cast of unforgettable characters–from James Monroe and James Madison to Sam Houston, Francis Scott Key, and Cherokee chiefs John Ross and Major Ridge–The Rivers of War travels from the battle of Horseshoe Bend to the battle of New Orleans, and brings every explosive moment to life. With exquisite attention to detail, an extraordinary grasp of history, and a storyteller’s gift for the dramatic, Flint delivers a bold, thought-provoking epic of enemies and allies, traitors and revolutionaries, and illuminates who we are as a nation, how we got here, and how history itself is made–and remade.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

Advance praise for The Rivers of War

“Eric Flint [drops] his readers into another time and place, where cultures collide, the action is hot and heavy, and we get to experience the best of the human spirit.”
–DAVID WEBER, New York Times bestselling author of the Honor Harrington adventures

“Eric Flint has a genius for taking his passion for history and turning it into powerful, action-packed stories that instantly grab the readers and plunge them into a time and place that might have been.”
–DAVID DRAKE, author of The Far Side of the Stars and Redliners

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Great story but why all the repetition?.......2007-07-05

I have now read a number of Eric Flint's alternate history books and, while I enjoy the clever variations on history and meaty characters, I cannot understand why a skilled author finds it necessary -- in all his books -- to repeat the same facts over and over again, sometimes just pages apart. In 1812, for example, on page 150 a woman named Tiana thinks about another character named Nancy Ward as a "Ghighua" (in Cherokee), followed by the sentence, "The Cherokee word had several translations into English. 'War Woman' was one of them." The story then goes on to explain how Ward's exploits had earned her that name/title.

Then on page 163, Sam Houston also thinks about Nancy Ward as "The last -- and some said, the greatest -- of the Cherokee Ghighua. The title was sometimes translated into English as 'Beloved Woman' and sometimes as 'War Woman." and just two pages later the author AGAIN explains how she earned that title!

He did the same thing throughout the 1634 series.

Ho-Hum Alternate History.......2007-05-15

This is not a bad story but neither is it a great one. It is one of those which I enjoyed enough while reading but which I have no great desire to think about or remember afterwards.

The setting is 1812 and the US is at war with Britain. It also has some internal problems such as what to do about Indians who do not wish to give their land up to the whites. Sometimes the Indians act in a savage manner but, more often, it is the whites who break agreements. In this story, there is an alternative to the Trail of Tears. Instead of being forcibly displaced, the powerful Cherokee nation and allied tribes voluntarily head west thinking they will then be able to set themselves up strongly enough to resist American expansion when it gets that far.

To help them along, they have the services of Sam Houston (of Texas fame) who is a hero of the war of 1812. He puts together a patchwork of tribes and black freedmen and convinces the US administration to sign off on the plan.

This entire books seems to be a buildup for things which do not happen. I understand there is at least one sequel. Maybe this is a setup for that one. Its well enough written that I will not mind reading other books but neither am I going to rush out to do so.

Truly irresistible.......2007-05-11

The War of 1812 seems, to most Americans, as a minor war, dry and forgettable. But Mr. Eric Flint uses it as his starting point for his alternate history. He brings it to life, with such colorful characters, but also REAL people, as Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, Winfield Scott, George Cockburn, Robert Ross and others. From Chippewa to New Orleans he creates a plot that draws you in. It never slows down yet it never goes so fast that you can't keep up. The American Nation, still young and a little rough around the edges, fighting for its rights and beliefs must deal with a NEW Nation being born even as the conflict rages. Mr. Flint brings Indians, freed men of color, escaping slaves and powerful whites together in a cooking pot of power and ideals. Ideals that will be tested, shaped and forced to deal with the judgment of history, the issue of slavery and growing pains of the young United States.

Good alternate history of the War of 1812.......2007-04-14

I think the War of 1812 is one of the most interesting parts of U.S. History. It's little known; not much is written about it. Which is partly why this book was a joy to read.

For the most part, the battles in this book -- the Horseshoe Bend, the Chippewa, the raid on Washington, and New Orleans (all four of them did occur in real life) -- happened more or less as Flint describes them, and mostly end in the same way. Well, there was no valiant stand in the U.S. Capitol, but still this alternate history is subtle. It will take future volumes to see the effects of what happened at Flint's version of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

And the characters are so colorful. Especially Patrick "the Troll" Driscol, the angry Irish sergeant in Scott's brigade with an intense hatred of the British (hating them for what they had done in Ireland in 1798). I enjoyed Flint's take on Andrew Jackson, possibly the most fascinating American of his time. Robert Ross was done well, too. All in all it was a good book, and I look forward to reading the next installment.

An alternative venture in the War of 1812.......2007-01-23

After I read the account of the New Madrid earthquakes, which happened around 1812, I was at the library and this book caught my eye. I'm glad it did.

Eric Flint, author of several popular alternative history novels, set out to fashion a history where the Cherokees avoided the Trail of Tears. This book is the first of a multi-volume set that tells the story. There are three primary sections: the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the Battle for Washington D.C. and the Battle of New Orleans. The pivot point of this story is the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, where Sam Houston received a minor injury rather than the serious one he experienced in reality. The author asks the question "What is Sam Houston had remained active n the war?"

Having survived the 1st battle, Houston winds up in DC where he is involved in the defense of the Capitol (which was burned by British forces in reality) and in the end reunites with Andrew Jackson for the battle of the Big Easy. Houston is shown as a highly educated, eloquent and intelligent young man but one who must fight a battle with alcoholism.

I really enjoyed this story. Flint makes every effort to recreate actual historical figures as accurately as possible and spent considerable time and effor researching the period and people. He also does a good job of bringing them to life. The story moves along at a good pace and has a tidy ending, even though another volume is to follow.

Drugs and the Future: Brain Science, Addiction and Society

Average customer rating:

Drugs and the Future: Brain Science, Addiction and Society
David J. Nutt , Trevor W. Robbins , Gerald V. Stimson , Martin Ince , and Andrew Jackson
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Neurobiology of Addiction
Addiction: From Biology to Drug Policy
Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves

ASIN: 0123706246

Book Description

This book presents 13 reviews collected to present the new advances in all areas of addiction research, including knowledge gained from mapping the human genome, the improved understanding of brain pathways and functions that are stimulated by addictive drugs, experimental and clinical psychology approaches to addiction and treatment, as well as both ethical considerations and social policy. The book also includes chapters on the history of addictive substances and some personal narratives of addiction. Introduced by Sir David King, Science Advisory to the UK Government and head of the Office of Science and Technology, and Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the USA, the book uniquely covers the full range of disciplines which can provide insight into the future of addiction, from genetics to the humanities. Written for a scientific audience, it is also applicable to non-specialists as well.

* Provides an unique overview of what we know about addiction, and how scientific knowledge can and should be applied in the societal, ethical, and political context
* Applies the state-of-the-art research in fields such as Genomics, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Social Policy and Ethics to addiction research
* Includes a preface by Sir David King, Science Advisory to the UK Government and head of the Office of Science and Technology, and in introduction by Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the USA

The Age of Jackson (Back Bay Books (Series))

Average customer rating:

Age of the Third Greatest Presidents
IN THE TIME OF THE 'LOCO-FOCOS'
A Must-Read
Captures the Spirit of the Times
Dizzied

The Age of Jackson (Back Bay Books (Series))
Arthur Meier Schlesinger Jr.
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Crisis of the Old Order: 1919-1933, The Age of Roosevelt, Volume I (The Age of Roosevelt)
The Coming of the New Deal: 1933-1935, The Age of Roosevelt, Volume II (The Age of Roosevelt)
The Market Revolution: Jacksonian America, 1815-1846
The Cycles of American History
The Imperial Presidency

ASIN: 0316773433

Book Description

Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. won the Pulitzer Prize for The Age of Jackson. It is a triumph of historical scholarship, analysis, and interpretation and throws much new light on a host of Americans, well-known and less well-known, who come to life in remarkable portraits that are both brilliant and sensitive. We learn a good deal that is new about the Jacksonian era, its relation to the Jeffersonian age it succeeded and to the periods that have followed.

Customer Reviews:

Age of the Third Greatest Presidents.......2007-05-25

The AGE OF JACKSON is one of the greatest of the histories by this talented and scholarly historian. It is a book that enlarges our understanding of the environment of the age when our Union was seriously threatened and saved by this slave-holder president. It is both sympathetic and realistic in its evaluation of Andrew Jackson. Should be read by every American and I guarantee pleasure.

IN THE TIME OF THE 'LOCO-FOCOS'.......2007-05-10

The recently deceased bourgeois historian Arthur Schlesinger first won prominent for his landmark studies later collected and published under the title The Age of Jackson. Along the way he was also a top `braintruster' for the Kennedy New Frontier and stalwart intellectual defender of the traditions of Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" long after that had lost its cache in Democratic Party circles. Thus, Schlesinger was a long time political opponent of mine and of all militants who have called for a break from the twin bourgeois parties of capitalism, Democratic or Republican. Nonetheless, his Age of Jackson is an important book to study as an overall guide to understanding the formation of American capitalism, particularly finance capitalism, as it emerged in the 1820's and the rudiments of creation of a politically conscious working class movement. The Age of Jackson may not be the last place to stop, given the immense increase in scholarship concerning this period since Schlesinger's book was written in the 1950's, but it is certainly the place to start. His copious footnotes and source references will aid one in studying the available sources from fifty year ago.

The central story line of the Jacksonian period economically, socially and politically was the fight over the establishment, continuation and rechartering of the Bank of the United States which despite its name was a privately owned corporation headed by the notorious Nicholas Biddle. In short the story was, as almost always under capitalism, about the money. Hard money, paper money, metallic money, federal money, state money, no money. It is all there. As confusing and, frankly, somewhat trivial as the issues may seem to the 21st century mind the various fights determined the path of capitalist formation for the rest of the 19th century. One does not have to be a partisan of any particular monetary policy to know that if the Biddle-led forces had won then capital formation in the United States would have taken a very different turn. Thus, the essential Jacksonian victory on the bank question is one that militants today can give a retroactive endorsement.

While this book does not go into the slavery question in any great detail or into the cultural and social milieu of the times except tangentially this is why, in a previous review on William Jennings Bryan, I noted that the last time militant leftists could seriously consider supporting a Democratic Party presidential candidate was in the time of Andrew Jackson. Just to list later presidential names and their political programs should make every progressive shutter. I also, however, noted in that review - But damn, that was long ago. The continued dependence political support of the Democrats
By the likes of Schlesinger and his progeny has politics in this country spinning in circles. It is time, more than time, to move on.

Although control of the money was the underlying premise for the political fights of the day they also represented some very different appreciations of what American society should look like. Schlesinger goes to great pains to highlight the various factions within each of the coalescing parties that would come to form the Democratic and Republican two-party system that we are familiar with today. Moreover, these fights had different implications for differing sections of the country. In that regard the names Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay and their various congressional devotees can generally stand to represent the various sectional interests. One might also note that names that became familiar in the immediate pre-Civil War period, like Abraham Lincoln, James Buchanan, John Bell, Gideon Welles, William Seward, etc. started to receive political notice as secondary figures during this period. One should also note that this was a period of political realignment and that the political situation was fluid enough that with changing political winds the various leading personalities were as likely to change sides as not. Readers should pick up the trail that Schlesinger only alludes to on the importance on the third party Liberty and Free Soil Parties Despite that lapse dealing with the various political manifestations of the period is the strongest part of the professor's book.

Of particular importance to those who want to learn about working class history in this country and are baffled by the lack of political class consciousness of today's working class as represented by an independent class party is the story of the rise and fall of the first trade unions and working class parties. Although this is a period of the rise of industrial capitalism in America it is nevertheless still fairly rudimentary and agrarian concerns still dominate the political landscape. This is reflected in the programs, concerns and the organizations that various parts of the working class formed at this time mainly, it appears, among the more skilled workers. One should note that on a political level, although not uniformly, the American working class of the 1830's was more politically class conscious than today's working class. Which pretty well defines our problem today. One should also note the tendency of working class organization to block with other forces, mainly urban Democratic Party Jacksonians. Today such a policy is called the `popular front' and is the sole strategy of the American labor bureaucracy (the only question seemingly being which bourgeois faction to block with). Militants today, as a matter of principle, are opposed to that strategy. However, back in the 1830's there were issues on which working class organizations could have, and should have, blocked with bourgeois parties. That, unfortunately, would not have saved them from oblivion as it was just too early, the forces were too small and unorganized and too politically immature to break out of the general Jacksonian democratic aura.

A Must-Read.......2007-03-06

Not only is this a classic Progressive interpretation of Jacksonian era politics, it offers great insight into how intellectuals of the forties understood the New Deal and saw it foreshadowed by Jackson and Van Buren. It is far from comprehensive in scope, and lack of attention to the Trail of Tears says alot about how New Deal liberals thought about diversity.

Captures the Spirit of the Times.......2006-12-12

Many conservatives love Andrew Jackson and hate Franklin Roosevelt; many liberals love Franklin Roosevelt and hate Andrew Jackson; rare it is will you find a historical scholar with the cojones to point out a truth that most are loathe to admit - that the two men, though separated by a century, represented manifestations of the same basic ideology, and as such should be admired by anyone who adheres to progressive political values.
Arthur Schlesinger - a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian (for this and one other book) and a high-ranking employee for Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adlai E. Stevenson, and John F. Kennedy - is supremely well-qualified to render a verdict as to Jackson's legacy. This he does, and in spades, in a book that brilliantly captures the spirit of the Jacksonian Era even while digging deep into the political, economic, social, cultural, religious, and intellectual life of the time. This book is in part a chronicle of the movers and shakers of the Jacksonian movement(Martin Van Buren, John Calhoun, Jackson himself, and countless others), but it is primarily an all-encompassing chronicle of a political movement that has been more or less forgotten today. Anyone who doesn't recommend this book either doesn't know much about American history, or has an ideological agenda that they wish to foist upon you which is impeded by the facts presented in this volume. Ignore their imprecations and read it anyway.

Dizzied.......2006-11-20

There are only three books I've ever wanted to throw in the trash. This book is one of them. Schlesinger runs up and down the decades, around the nation, and across the list of characters in a disorganized frenetic movement that reminds me of nothing so much as my hyperactive, attention deficit disordered son during Saturday morning cartoons. One moment he's writing about Hamilton in the revolution, the next he's discoursing on Jackson's death. I picked this book up on the remainder shelf. I wish it had remained there.

Voices from the Trail of Tears (Real Voices, Real History Series)

Average customer rating:

a very detailed history
True To Life
Another Excellent Book from Ms. Rozema

Voices from the Trail of Tears (Real Voices, Real History Series)

Manufacturer: John F. Blair Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation
Trail of Tears
Only the Names Remain: The Cherokees and The Trail of Tears
Cherokee Legends and the Trail of Tears
Seven Clans of the Cherokee Society

ASIN: 0895872714

Book Description

Although British and American governmental policy had been pushing Native Americans westward for much of the 18th and early 19th centuries, passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 brought this policy to a head. This act, which provided for the exchange of American Indian lands in the East for lands west of the Mississippi River and for the removal of the Indians to those lands, resulted in the relocation of an estimated 100,000 Native Americans.

Although many tribes were involved in this process, the most publicized removal was that of the Cherokees. In Voices from the Trail of Tears, Vicki Rozema draws from letters, military records, physicians' records, and journal excerpts to provide insight into what actually happened during this period. Through these primary sources, which are presented in chronological order, we follow the feuding within the Cherokee ranks about whether to accept the white man's ultimatum, and if so, how it should be implemented. We have firsthand accounts of how the Indians from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee were rounded up to prepare for their removal. We hear the sympathetic white missionaries pleading for the Cherokees to be allowed to stay in their homeland, and we see how some of these same missionaries dealt with the testing of their faith as they accompanied the Indians on their westward journey. We read official reports and private musings from the soldiers who were ordered to carry out the removal, many of whom ended up sympathizing with their wards. We see the conditions that the people endured as they traveled on what they called "the Trail Where They Cried." We even follow the confusion that resulted when the new arrivals in the West faced assimilation into a culture already established by those who had emigrated 20 to 30 years earlier.

In Voices from the Trail of Tears, the actual participants give us a perspective on what happened during this infamous chapter in American history.

Customer Reviews:

a very detailed history.......2007-02-11

This book does provide first-person descriptions of events at the time, which is historically revealing. However, it is very dry reading...probably unavoidable. Most interesting to me is how differently the removal of the Indians from the South was viewed by different people, almost like they were talking about a completely different experience.

True To Life.......2005-08-05

You can't get a better perspective on an event than first person accounts. This book was written in such a way. There are accounts by people who were actually there taken from medical reports and recorded information taken from first person accounts of people who were actually in the middle of "The Trail of Tears" as it was happening. An excellent read and factual event of history that just happened to be overlooked in school history books.

Another Excellent Book from Ms. Rozema.......2003-03-12

This is Ms. Rozema's third book on Cherokee History and an excellent complement to her others. Voices from the Trail of Tears is a collection of first person accounts of the infamous Cherokee Removal of 1838. Drawn from letters, journals, military reports, contemporary newspaper accounts, and even physicians' reports, it offers an in-depth and very personal account of the tragedy referred to by the Cherokees as `The Trail Where We Cried.' This book is different from previous books on the Cherokee Removal because it consists primarily of first person accounts of events leading up to, during, and immediately after the removal and while Ms. Rozema provides introductory notes to each account to explain the events and people who wrote the accounts, the eye-witness accounts are the focus of the book. This book deals more with the experience of the Cherokees held in camps during the summer of 1838 while they were waiting for removal led by Chief John Ross and where it is believed most of the deaths (due to sickness) actually occurred rather than on the trail than previous books. This book also deals more with the actual experiences of the Cherokees on the `Trail Where they Cried' where previous books deal more with the events leading up to the removal.
Voices from the Trail of Tears is an excellent choice for anyone interested in Cherokee history or the removal of the southeastern Indians. It would also be an excellent choice for teachers or researchers including those doing genealogy research. The book is thoughtfully indexed and carefully noted with unobtrusive endnotes and extensive bibliography at the end of the book.

The Missouri Compromise and Its Aftermath: Slavery and the Meaning of America

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Importance of the Aftermath in History

The Missouri Compromise and Its Aftermath: Slavery and the Meaning of America
Robert Pierce Forbes
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0807831050

Book Description

Robert Pierce Forbes goes behind the scenes of the crucial Missouri Compromise, the most important sectional crisis before the Civil War, to reveal the high-level deal-making, diplomacy, and deception that defused the crisis.

Customer Reviews:

Importance of the Aftermath in History.......2007-05-18

Dr. Robert P. Forbes is no stranger to students of the antebellum era. His previous articles have been noted for their clear readable style and scholarship. Dr. Forbes states the book took a long time to come into being as a finished work. The result shows a well thought out examination and interpretation which makes the wait worthwhile. His colleagues, experts in the field of antebellum history, state they "learned a great deal from the work." The real value of this work is in its examination not only of the well known history of the Missouri Compromise itself --the formulation and passage of the legislation--but the even more important aspects of the effect of this compromise and the devastating result of its being revoked. The book has enough meat in it to satisfy the most discerning scholar and a facile style to satisfy the general reader. This is a volume that belongs in the library of every student of history, of politics, social movement, and ultimtely the disolution of the Union. Congratulations to Robert Forbes for a great gift to us.

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