Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars

by Robert V. Remini

The expulsion of Native Americans from the eastern half of the continent to the Indian Territory beyond the Mississippi River is one of the most notorious events in U.S. history and the single most controversial aspect of Andrew Jackson's presidency. Preeminent Jacksonian scholar Robert Remini now provides a thoughtful analysis of the entire story of Jackson's wars against the Indians, from his first battles with the Cherokees and Creeks to his presidential years, when he helped establish the Indian Territory in Oklahoma and, as a result, the Trail of Tears. This is at once an exuberant work of American history and a sobering reminder of the violence and darkness at the heart of our nation's past.

"Vividly written and often harrowing . . . Remini recounts Jackson's exploits . . . with riveting narrative prose." (Michael Holt, Chicago Tribune)

"When it comes to Jackson . . . there are few who have such a masterly command of the sources as Mr. Remini [who] kept me up late at night reading and causing me to wonder why, with narrative history such as this, anyone bothers to read historical novels." (Roger D. McGrath, The Wall Street Journal)

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, American History, Presidents, War, Native American

317 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[robin friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharp Knife

Although Americans are prone to refer to Jackson as "Old Hickory" or, in his day, as "the Hero", the Indian tribes of his day gave him the nickname of "Sharp Knife". This nickname was based upon Jackson's unrelenting warfare against the Creek Indians, particularly at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814. The distinguished American historian, Robert Remini, shows in this careful and thorough study of Jackson and the Indians that the sobriquet was indeed well deserved. His book is a thorough and careful exposition of the cruelties practiced on the Indians during the Jacksonian Era culminating in their removal from their homes and their relocation west of the Mississippi River during and subsequent to Jackson's Presidency.

Remini is a master of his materials. He has written a National Book Award winning biography of Jackson together with many other works on the Jacksonian Era of our history.

After a brief introductory chapter summarizing Jackson's early years, Remini plunges into the story of Jackson's Indian wars. Prior to his Presidency, Jackson conquered the Creeks, Cherokees, Chickasaws and Seminoles in fierce no-quarter fighting. Jackson was resolute in his wish to remove the Indians from the Southeastern United States.

In addition to his leadership on the battlefield, Jackson was a participant in many treaties with the Indians in which the ceded large portions of their ancestral domain in return for small tracts of land and small sums of money. Here too, Jackson was a domineering, seemingly irresistible figure intent on opening the Southeast to the onrush of white settlement, with little regard for the effect of his actions on the Indians.

As a national hero based upon his victory at the Battle of New Orleans and his conquests of the tribes, Jackson narrowly missed the Presidency in 1824 but was elected in 1828 and 1832. He was able to implement the policy of Indian removal he had conceived in his years as a general and a treaty negotiator. He secured legislation from Congress authorizing the removal of the "Five Civilized Tribes" -- the Cherokees, Chickasaws, Creeks, Choctaws, and Seminoles -- and implemented this policy at great cost and suffering to the Tribes. It is a story all too little known today.

Jackson was a man of determination, strength, and will. He was also, in Remini's account, an American patriot. Shocking as was his treatment of the Indians, Jackson was moved by considerations of American Nationalism. In particular, he wished to protect the coastal areas of the United States from intrigue and invasion by England and France. The European powers tended to use the Indians as a means to threaten the United States.

Although he is properly critical of Jackson's cruelty, arrogance, and deceit towards the tribes, and of the horrors they underwent during the removal, Remini argues that there was no good alternative to the removal policy. If the tribes had not been removed they would have been overwhelmed by onrushing white settlement and lost entirely their tribal identity, as was the case with many northeastern tribes. Paradoxically, Jackson proved right in that the removal policy saved the southeast tribes from extinction. Of course, none of this excuses the cruelty with which the process was implemented; and Remini is far from trying to excuse it.

I came to Remini's book after reading an earlier study of Jackson and the Indians: Michael Paul Rogin's book " Fathers and Children: Andrew Jackson and the Subjugation of the American Indian." I wasn't entirely happy with the Rogin because of its hypercritical tone and because of its psychologizing. Remini's book constitutes a more thorough, thoughtful, and balanced consideration of this sad period in our history. This is a good book for those who wish to try to understand Indian policy and its role in our country's development.

Robin Friedman

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Remini’s goal for his work Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars are stated simply, “to explain what happened and why.” He prefaces this however, by saying, “that it is not my intention to excuse or exonerate Andrew Jackson for the role he played in the removal of Native Americans west of the Mississippi River.” He goes on to note that it is important for Americans to view history through the eyes of those living through it. It is easy to make judgements about motivation through a modern lens, but in order to truly understand, one must comprehend the mood and attitude which were prevalent at the time. He used the internment of the Japanese during World War II as an example of this. Clearly, this internment was morally wrong, but at the same time there was little objection to it because of the atmosphere of fear and mistrust of Japanese citizens following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Similarly, he notes, there was support for the removal of the Indians for a number of reasons, among them the fear of white populations living proximate to Indian lands.

While Remini’s stated goal is to simply tell us what happened, it is just as clear that he wants to place the reader in that place and time in order to convey an accurate sense of the mood of the American public. In that way he believes we can understand more fully the motivations driving Andrew Jackson in his relations with the Indians. I also believe, despite his protestations to the contrary, that Remini would like the reader to take a gentler view of Andrew Jackson’s role in causing the suffering to the Indian population during and after removal.

Unlike others who have taken a more comprehensive look at Indian policy during this era, such as Ronald Satz in American Indian Policy in the Jacksonian Era, Remini, in order to achieve his stated goal concentrates his narrative on Andrew Jackson and his relationship with American Indians. By taking us through his early experiences during the Revolutionary War in South Carolina where his brother was killed, in all likelihood by Indians, Remini is trying to get the read to understand the events that shaped Jackson’s early views of Indians, and to explain his legendary determination and ruthlessness. He goes into detailed descriptions of Jackson’s experiences as an Indian fighter, his role in the Creek War and subsequent negotiations, his role in the seizure of Florida, his elevation to the Presidency and his policy towards the Indians during his two terms in the White House.

Remini has produced a very compelling narrative. His descriptions of Jackson’s relationship with the Indians prior to becoming President are particularly riveting. He uses Jackson’s experiences dealing with Indians, particularly during the Creek wars and the seizure of Florida to explore Jackson’s later attitudes towards the Indians. He doesn’t shy away from Jackson’s dark side. He admits that Jackson, like any frontiersman of the day, viewed the Indian as inferior both culturally and intellectually. This is evidenced by Jackson’s paternalistic attitudes toward them during the treaty negotiations that ended the Creek War, and later, in his communications to the Indians, trying to induce them to accept the treaties that would result in their removal west. It also partially explains, along with his experiences during the Revolution, his often brutal savagery towards his Indian opponents during the War of 1812

As Ronald Satz points out however, Remini takes great pains to get the reader to take a more benign view of Jackson’s actual attitude towards the Indians, and in particular, his later actions during the removal process. Remini points out that Jackson adopted an Indian orphan, that he counted many Indians among his friends, that he often expressed a desire to help the downtrodden among the various tribes and that many Indians expressed appreciation for this attitude, and in the end, argues Jackson’s attempts to remove the Indians was done primarily to benefit their people.

Remini attempts almost no analysis of the bureaucratic and political factors influencing Indian policy. In fact, the first twelve chapters are devoted entirely to events occurring before Andrew Jackson became president. Only with the onset of the Jackson administration do we get any discussion of the politics surrounding Indian removal or of its implementation. The book ends with the termination of the Jackson administration.

Remini clearly has sympathy for Jackson. In my opinion, he bends back a bit too far to get the reader to view Jackson’ role in removal as a quest to do what was best for the Indian. In this I agree with Satz, Jackson’s motivations for advocating Indian removal was based on his adherence to a traditional states rights view, and his fervent nationalism. Jackson also desired Indian removal as a security measure, making the argument that having Indians and Whites in close proximity was sure to end in bloodshed. To this I would add he was under strong political pressure, particularly from southern governors, who themselves were being pressured by white settlers desiring more land. I don’t believe Jackson had any particular animosity towards the Indians, but their well-being was secondary to the other pressures impelling removal.

I am also of the opinion that Remini is a bit too uncritical of Jackson’s statements defending removal. In fact, inconsistencies can be found in the context of this book. On page 237 Remini makes the statement that Jackson’s “noble desire to give the Indians a free choice between staying and removing, one devoid of coercion, was disregarded by land-greedy state and federal officials…” This statement conflicts with Remini’s own accounts of Jackson’s actions in trying to get the Indians to accept removal. In a letter to William B. Lewis, Jackson, complaining about the decision of the Cherokees and Choctaws not to attend a meeting with him, writes, “I leave the poor deluded Creeks and Cherokees to their fate, and their annihilation.” Remini also notes the many times that Jackson encouraged treaty negotiators to use the Indian fear of mistreatment by whites as a negotiating tactic. During the negotiations of the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek following the Indians’ initial rejection of the government’s treaty terms, negotiators John H. Eaton and John Coffee threatened the Indians, warning them “if they refused to enter into a treaty…the President…would march an army into their country, build forts in all parts of their hunting grounds, expand the authority and laws of the United States over the Choctaw territory…” Lastly, Jackson’s attitude towards the Cherokee Indians also casts doubt on his allegedly noble attempts to give them a free choice on whether to accept removal or not. Jackson completely dismissed the strides made by Cherokees to adopt a “white” way of life. He fought as hard, or harder, for the removal of them, as he did for any of the other tribes. Had he truly been willing to allow for cultural change, he would not have done that.

In summary, I think Remini’s views on Andrew Jackson and Indian removal is a valuable counterpoint to the standard view of Jackson’s antipathy towards the Indians. Through the use of lucid and, at times, compelling arguments, Remini is able to effectively argue for a more benign view of Jackson’s role in removal. He ably describes the events that formed Jackson’s later attitudes towards the Indians. As I noted above however, I feel he is going too far in trying to exonerate Jackson for some of the blame for the horrors inflicted on the Indians as the result of his removal policy.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm very glad I read this book. I learned a great deal of history, all of which made me quite sad. The evils of white supremacy and the violations of human rights because of it should be learned and never forgotten. There are many things in this book I should have learned in school and when I visited the Hermitage.

[Anna Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent job of portraying Andrew Jackson as a complex individual and explaining what led him to implement his Indian Removal Act of 1830. A fascinating, if at times disturbing, read.

[Sara Laor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although it is fashionable to pooh-pooh the founders, this account presents the man as a product of his time and place. Highly effective book.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent chronicle of Jackson and his obsessive efforts to rid lands of the U.S. of indians. The book would've been even better if author Remini wasn't being P.C. and acting as apologist to the sensitive readers far too often throughout the book. So, again, comes the trouble of recent books as authors weaken the writing with apologies. Of all books histories should have no apologies from the writer. History is history.

The bulk of the book is very well constructed with dates that are often left out of most histories, so the reader can know when they are in the book. The histories of the various packs of indians and soldier encounters are detailed well with motivations and results. Added are adjacent happenings in the U.s. and abroad providing a very well rounded view of the history included. This, in my opinion, is best parts of teh book: Remini's expertise shining through as he gives various perspectives though out the book.

The last few chapters were not as keenly written as the early bulk of the book. The book wraps quickly with questions left unanswered and truncated resolutions to issues.

Bottom line: I recommend the book. 8 out of 10 points.

[Miles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Difficult to rate; the content is excellent and the work provides a more or less encyclopedic accounting of Andrew Jackson’s interactions with indigenous groups from the 1780s until the end of his presidency. But Remini’s writing is dense, and a lot of his best observations get lost in the wordiness.

[William Sariego · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it informative and interesting though a good friend of mine with a Phd in history is rather critical of Remini's work, especially his book on the Battle of New Orleans. It was at times annoying to read due to the short, choppy paragraphs the writer liked to use.

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

As one might expect, a dismal read. As anyone with the most passing acquaintance with Jackson's history knows, the chief architect of the Trail of Tears has much to answer for. Remini jumps head first into the issue.

I complained that his Jackson trilogy let Old Hickory off too easily. To some extent, that is remedied here. The first lines of the book insist that his purpose is not to excuse Jackson, but to explain him.
That explanation, at least as it pertains to Jackson's Indian policy, is largely built on the assertion that Jackson's racism was not an evil unique to him, some demonic personal flaw or malice, but a more benign atmosphere of paternalism, superiority and honestly well-intentioned social engineering- attitudes that Jackson shared with the rest of White America at the time. These attitudes in Jackson are well-documented through the numerous "talks" between Jackson and "his red children", and Remini weaves them in seamlessly, with somewhat more aplomb than he did in the trilogy.

The storyline is not a complicated one, as Remini has stripped away the copious amounts of background he provided in the trilogy, jumping right into the story: frontier skirmishes leading to the Creek War, leading to the First and Second Seminole Wars, and culminating in the Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears. Whether or not one has read Remini's trilogy, the narrative stands alone in sufficient and effective thoroughness.

So much for the history of the book. The really interesting part is how Remini handles the politics. It's refreshing to hear him call racism what it is, to call out the prejudicial attitudes of the times. No great prose stylist, nor a passionate critic of history, Remini has a bloodless and sometimes starchy approach that doesn't fit well with his subject. I wasn't expecting Dee Brown, but the narrative suffers from a certain lack of heart.

[Avis Black · Rating 1 out of 5]

Spends a sizeable amount of the book castigating Jackson for not have the sensibilities and beliefs of a modern man, despite the trivial barrier of Jackson having been born 250 years ago. If you're okay with page after page of hectoring and sermonizing in the face of a logical impossibility, read on. But if not, don't bother. It grows old very fast.

You already know what YOU think about Jackson and the Indians. You don't need an author to tell you what you're already thinking. What you need is an author who tells you what THEY thought about it back then, which is the only way for you to really understand the mindset and life circumstances of people who lived so long ago. Modern historians, all too often these days, are doing a terrible job of the latter. If historians were anthropologists, they'd all completely fail to understand the culture they're writing about.

[Jackson Cyril · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read. Although Remini clearly doesn't want to portray Jackson in too negative a light, his storytelling prowess is brilliant.

Read for American History.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the beginning of this book, the author states that he doesn't want to write another book about Andrew Jackson.  I can certainly sympathize with his issue, for this is the third book by the author that touches on the career of Andrew Jackson and like the proverbial advice to a bride on her wedding day, this book has something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.  There are definitely some areas where this book echoes and perhaps even copies the author's previous writings on Andrew Jackson [1].  There are other areas where the author spends some time dealing with topics that he did not address in either of the first two works about Andrew Jackson that he wrote, going into a great deal of detail about Indian Removal, areas that may greatly sadden many readers who dislike the author's resolute realism that paints Jackson's behavior as the most humane possible option for the cultural survival of the civilized tribes of the American South, something that will be difficult for many idealistic readers to accept.  As for me, I found this book to be an appropriate mix of hardheaded realism and detailed historical analysis, and that is something I approve of in general as well as in this particular case.

This book of about 300 pages is divided into seventeen chapters that cover the wide expanse of Andrew Jackson's dealings over the course of his lives with the indigenous peoples of the United States.  The author begins with the making of an Indian fighter in the rural areas of North and South Carolina (1) and cover his initial experiences as a young man in the militia fighting the Cherokees, Chickasaws and Creeks in Tennessee and the Old Southwest (2).  After this the author talks about the abortive mission to New Orleans that led to Jackson acquiring the nickname Old Hickory (3), Jackson's leadership during the Creek War (4), and Jackson's sharp diplomacy that gave him the name "Sharp Knife" after he took half of the land of the Creek in the draconian peace after that war (5).  Jackson's somewhat inaccurate claim to be the friend and brother of the native peoples (6) as a commissioner to help make peace treaties between the United States and various tribes (7) then follows before the author discusses Jackson's efforts to cease Florida (8) which triggered the First Seminole War (9).  Jackson's successful efforts to despoil the Chickasaws (10) and Choctaws (11) precedes a discussion of Jackson's ultimately successful efforts to be elected President (12).  Several chapters then cover the Indian Removal Act (13), Jackson's advice to the tribes to move peacefully to the west rather than be overwhelmed by insatiable white demands for land to settle on (14), Jackson's legal struggles with the Cherokee nation (15), and the costly struggle of the Second Seminole War (16) before the author closes with a fair and balanced discussion of Jackson's troubled but realistic legacy regarding Native Americans (17).

It is an often-cited but equally often ignored truism that politics is the art of the possible.  Andrew Jackson has fallen under a great deal of contemporary disdain for his tough-minded approach to solving the problem of cultural differences between the indigenous people of North America and the European-American settlers he was a part of by presenting the tribes of the Eastern United States with the choice of either staying and assimilating to the dominant American culture or getting out of the way.  Like the author, I believe that there are no easy answers when it comes to massive cultural divides, and that if there is no assimilation and open conflict is to be avoided that some degree of separation is necessary.  We see the same issue with regards to the contemporary divides within American society, and it is little wonder that people should find it intolerable to be close to those whom they cannot respect and cannot get along with.  If such a thing is true in our own time, how can we condemn Jackson for acting on that truth almost two centuries ago when he served as a racist but hardly cruel and wicked representative of American culture to its native people regarding the troubled relationship between ancestral rights and the irresistible pressures of demography. 

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazone

Biography at its best
10/10

This is a magnificent look at Andrew Jackson's war with the Native Americans. So many biographers bury their subject and forget that most readers what to know who their subject *was*, not merely what they *did.* Remini doesn't fall into this trap. He gives the reader a well-grounded and detailed look at Andrew Jackson as a man: his foibles, passions and prejudices, as well as his extreme ambition and vacillating brilliance.

Remini strikes a beautiful balance when examining Jackson's private life and military/political life. His examination of the Trail of Tears is absolutely riveting, and he weaves Jackson in and out of the narrative with rare poise and skill.

The reader can actually picture Jackson in the midst of this conflict, feel his emotions and understand the decisions he made. When a biographer can paint such a vivid picture, the reader will always be rewarded.

This is an excellent book for the entire spectrum of people interested in Jackson. Whether you are a neophyte or an established Jacksonian historian, there is much to enjoy, as well as new material.

he footnotes and bibliography are excellent resources and lead to additional sources for the reader. The minute I finished this, I bought the second volume, "Andrew Jackson: The Course of American Freedom, 1822-1832" This volume is truly an outstanding book

Candace Scott

////////

An educational study of Jackson and us southeast indians
10/10

This concise and highly interesting book covers a period of history that was important to the development of the American continent. Unfortunately, the United States' gain was achieved at the great expense of the Indians who inhabited the southeast.

Although I thought I knew something about American history, this book showed me how little I knew about this important (and heartbreaking) era when a clash of cultures resulted in Indians being removed from their homes in the woods primarly to the State where I live, Oklahoma, which was created by Congress in 1834, and designated as Indian territory.

Remini gives a direct and fascinating look at Jackson and his relentless attacks upon the southeast and southern Indians.

Yet Remini shows that Jackson understood the only way that the tribes of southeastern America could survive the interactions with whites (who murdered the Indians and took their land and property) was by removal to Indian territory west of the Mississippi. This policy was made possible, of course, by the Louisiana Purchase. Thomas Jefferson also advocated the removal of Indians to the land that he had acquired by this Purchase.

Remini points out that Jackson's fame and ultimate rise to the Presidency resulted from public recognition of his military success and genius, first with regard to the Creeks, then the British, and then the Seminoles and Cherokees. For better or worse, Jackson was the most important figure responsible for the Southeast America that we know today.

In this book, when Remini finishes his story, he stops, making this book a treasure. Not a word is wasted, and every page is appreciated. I gained much from reading it.

David W. Lee

[Lauren Hiebner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not a fan of Andrew Jackson and the more I read about him the less I like him. The author doesn’t make excuses for him as an Indian fighter but does make the point that within the context of the times during Jackson’s lifetime, people were racist and tolerated and supported Indian removal. That was still a racial injustice toward a people and no amount of justification came make it look better. The author points out that Jackson learned to fear and hate Indians at an early age as his village was attacked several times and possibly an older brother was killed by Indians. It was known that Jackson had a vicious temper, was a hot head, and sought revenge on anyone that disobeyed or disagreed with him. Jackson was driven to be head of the Tennessee militia and resigned from political positions to get that job. Thomas Jefferson even said he was a “dangerous man.” Now he was well situated to fight and possibly remove Indians to the west, something he already believed in since 1809. He always said this was based on national security. Jackson was also an election denier claiming that there was a “corrupt bargain” made to give the Presidency to John Q. Adams in 1824. He became President in 1828 and made sure that his removal policy was endorsed by Congress, his first order of business. Jackson’s legacy is the Cherokee “Trail of Tears”. This removal in which about 25% died, was intended to avoid annihilation but actually caused it. It’s no wonder that A. Jackson is the favorite President of #45. They have many similar personality characteristics. A sad read.

[William Adam Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read a historical account of Andrew Jackson and his Indian Removal Policy, because it was such a controversial and brutal action, I wanted to be able to see it in its historical context by a historian who was well versed in the subject matter and time period. While I don't think this book is the definitive statement on the subject, I did learn a lot and it led me to have more questions about the subject and made me curious to read more to gain further understanding.

Remini has written over a dozen books on the Jacksonian era in American history. Remini gives an overview on Jackson's interactions with Native Americans during his entire career, not just the time he was president. He spends a great portion of the book recounting Jackson's time as a soldier, and how he fought both against and with the various Native tribes in the Southeastern section of the United States. I had not previously read much about the Creek War, and so I learned a lot about this subject and how it fit into the larger frame of the War of 1812 that was also going on against the British. Remini also spends a lot of time explaining what the Seminole War was about and how Jackson's role in that was also controversial.

Reading this book helped me to understand the time period better and make more sense of what motivated Jackson's policies towards the Native tribes.

[Andrew Weitzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars, was a page-turning history of, well, Andrew Jackson and his Indian wars (do I need a spoiler tag for that?). Jackson was one of those crazed zealots who gets an idea in his head and never lets it go, consequences be damned. He deemed that the solution to the young United States' southern-border-security issue was to oust the British-allied Spanish, as well as the local native tribes of his "red children" who were receiving "bad counsel" from rabblerousing English provocateurs. And of course, because he actually did want his "red children" to be able to maintain their tribal identities, his idea was to (forcibly) trade them their current lands for even more land west of the Mississippi.

The problem is that when your entire civilization has lived in the eastern woods for generations, moving to an arid prairie, even with government assistance (most of which was stolen by crooked contractors), is not going to work out very well.

I would recommend this. I learned a lot of stuff. I don't remember ever being taught in school that Jackson unilaterally invaded Florida and took it from the Spanish without any Congressional orders. The man was a total lunatic.

[FellowBibliophile KvK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, if slightly detailed, account of Andrew Jackson's dealings with the Native Americans before, during and after his Presidency. However, "wars" is misleading, since most of Jackson's dealings with the Native Americans involved meetings and demands, while instances of actual fighting are few and far between.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was part of a reading assignment for this week in my European Conquest of the Americas class. It contained valuable information about the Removal Act of 1830, the Seminole Wars, and the Trail of Tears. I found it to be useful, and it was an interesting read. I normally hate assigned reading, but this was not tedious. I appreciated that.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Longer read than it seems. It holds your attention, though Jacksons dealing with the one nation or conderation of indian closely match the others. Take the tribes to war, tribe loses, settle with contract that includes geographical displacement west of the Mississippi river, bribe chiefs and representatives of the natives. Jackson is an interesting firecracker though.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remini clearly brings a breadth of research to his subject matter in this book. From a narrative standpoint, some chapters were slow going, but overall a fair, but critical, analysis of Jackson's complicated relationships with Indian tribes.

[Nate Bracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

an interesting take on an often poorly remembered part of american history. remini does a fantastic job highlighting what we know as well as comparing the attitudes of modern times to the early 1800s in the growing united states of america

[Ethan P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is filled with tens of thousands of facts. So many facts that I felt like I was trying to memorize 1000 facts per page. It’s a lot to take in. The author does a great job at telling what happened and not being biased to Jackson nor to the Native Americans. I learned a lot as it is filled with information that is not always covered in schools or universities. Read this book if you want to be educated and informed of the Indian Wars during Jackson’s time.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrible and shameful history of white Americans treatment of Native Americans. Important read.

[Michael Cawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating detailed exploration of Andrew Jackson and Native American wars and removal policies

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even worse than Schlesinger as a Jacksonian apologist.

[Forest · Rating 2 out of 5]

thesis sucks shit but i actually appreciate the effort he went through to look at Jackson as an individual human

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like books that challenge common thought. This certainly did. I learned in school that Jackson was a rabid Indian hater. The whole country was way more hateful than Jackson. That was the norm of the day. Jackson wanted the Indians gone just like everybody else. He tried to work with the Indians as best he could...by today's standards would be deemed unlawful and repugnant. But the 1840's aren't today.

I wonder if Patton has ever been compared to Jackson?

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed and scholarly, for people who want more than the basic info

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough and even treatment of Jackson and his dealings with Indians.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Focuses on the evolution of Jackson's views toward Native Americans.