American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

Jon Meacham presents Jackson as a quintessential embodiment of American democracy, in all its contradictions. These contradictions were baked into the nation’s founding, from the colonialism that promised greater freedom to European settlers but came at the expense of Indigenous Americans to the Constitution that espoused egalitarianism but permitted slavery. Such tensions only escalated as the years went by. The Constitution, for example, was vague on the subject of suffrage, so different states adopted wildly different positions; New Jersey’s original constitution extended voting rights to all residents, including women and people of color, but many other states barred not only these groups but also white men who did not own a certain amount of land.

These property requirements were some of the first bars to suffrage to fall away, which would help propel Jackson’s ascension to the presidency. His appeal to the “common man” and his efforts to democratize political power shifted from the elitist structures of the past. Moreover, Jackson’s rise from humble beginnings to the presidency symbolized the possibility of self-made success, a core tenet of American identity. Meacham depicts Jackson as a champion for greater economic equality and political participation for ordinary citizens by showcasing his battles against powerful interests like the Second Bank of the United States; Meacham also recounts Jackson’s staunch defense of the Union. At the same time, other Jacksonian policies, such as the Indian Removal Act, reveal the darker side of American democracy. Jackson supported westward expansion in part because of the opportunities the frontier afforded to “ordinary” Americans without wealth or social clout. Yet those opportunities came at the cost of the displacement—and often death—of Indigenous Americans. Furthermore, westward expansion brought with it the question of whether new territories and states would permit slavery. This had obvious relevance for the freedom and equality of Black Americans, but it also indirectly impacted the less privileged white Americans whom expansionism would ostensibly benefit, as yeoman farmers often struggled to stay afloat alongside large-scale plantations profiting off an enslaved (i.e., unpaid) workforce. Jacksonian populism was therefore a double-edged sword.  

Meacham’s portrayal of Jackson’s assertive use of presidential power illustrates another tension within American democracy while documenting the Expansion of Executive Power. By frequently using his veto power and appealing directly to the public, Jackson redefined the presidency as a more dynamic and influential office. This change has had a lasting influence on the expectations and functions of the presidency in the United States, but it has concentrated power in the hands of one figure in a way that the framers of the Constitution likely did not envision.