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The Jackson Era Books

The Jackson Era Books

Catherine Allgor, Parlor Politics: In Which the Ladies of Washington Help Build a City and a Government (2000)

Allgor's exploration of the role of women within the political culture of Washington, D.C. ends with an interesting discussion of the Eaton Affair. She provides a detailed review of the episode and places it within a provocative analysis of the rise and fall of a particular type of political influence within the first half of the 19th century.

Robert Remini, The Legacy of Andrew Jackson: Essays on Democracy, Indian Removal, and Slavery (1988)

Much is neglected in this introduction to Jackson's presidency—Jackson's war with the Bank, for example, is treated only indirectly—but the essays on democracy and Native American removal are particularly good.

Robert Remini, The Life of Andrew Jackson (1988)

Remini's three-volume biography, written between 1977 and 1984, remains the most authoritative treatment of Jackson. Most readers, however, will find what they need in this one-volume condensed version of that book.

Ronald Satz, American Indian Policy in the Jacksonian Era (1974)

This book offers the most balanced and useful review of Jackson's Native American policies. Satz provides a thoughtful exploration of the positions assumed by Jackson and the other participants in the complicated debate over removal. 

Harry Watson, Liberty and Power: The Politics of Jacksonian America (1990)

As the title suggests, this book's range is both broader and narrower than Remini's. Jackson's life prior to his 1824 presidential bid is barely mentioned, but the social and political contexts within which Jackson came to power are usefully explored, as are the political processes that continued to unfold after he left office, and the political candidates that followed in his wake.