Many Americans view Andrew Jackson as a frontiersman who fought duels, killed Indians and stole another man’s wife. Historians have traditionally presented him as a man who struggled to overcome the obstacles of his backwoods upbringing and helped create a more democratic United States. In his compelling biography of Jackson, Mark R. Cheathem argues for a reassessment of these long-held views. suggesting that in fact “Old Hickory” lived as an elite southern gentleman. By emphasizing Jackson’s southern identity-characterized by violence, honor, kinship, slavery and Manifest Destiny, Cheathem’s narrative offers a bold new perspective on one of the nineteenth century’s most renowned and controversial presidents. Soft cover. About the author: Cheathem is an associate professor of history at Cumberland University.
