American Lion audiobook cover - Andrew Jackson in the White House

American Lion

Andrew Jackson in the White House

Jon Meacham

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Biography & MemoirPolitics

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American Lion
Early Life & Character+
Military Rise+
Path to the Presidency+
Redefining the Presidency+
Major Crises & Scandals+
Controversial Legacy+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
What was the revolutionary idea at the core of Andrew Jackson's political career?
  • A. Expanding the legislative power of Congress over the presidency.
  • B. Acting as a voice for the common man and protecting their liberty from special interests.
  • C. Advocating for the universal abolition of slavery across all American territories.
  • D. Establishing a powerful national bank to stabilize the growing American economy.
Question 2 of 10
What aspect of Andrew Jackson's personal life provided ammunition for his political enemies later in his career?
  • A. He married his wife, Rachel, before her divorce from her abusive first husband was officially finalized.
  • B. He was found guilty of treason during his time as a prisoner of war in the American Revolution.
  • C. He deserted the military during the War of 1812 to pursue a lucrative law career.
  • D. He was secretly discovered to be a British sympathizer during the Florida peninsula campaigns.
Question 3 of 10
How did Jackson help secure an unlikely victory against a much larger British army at the Battle of New Orleans?
  • A. He negotiated a secret, temporary alliance with Spanish forces in the region.
  • B. He forced the city's leaders to enact martial law, giving him total control of the city.
  • C. He ordered his men to burn the city to the ground to cut off British supply lines.
  • D. He utilized a fleet of newly invented ironclad ships to block the harbor.
Question 4 of 10
Why did the scandal surrounding Secretary of War John Eaton and his wife Margaret become a major issue during Jackson's first term?
  • A. The Eatons were discovered to be funneling classified military information to the British government.
  • B. Eaton embezzled federal funds to pay off Margaret's extensive gambling debts.
  • C. Jackson's insistence on defending the socially blacklisted Eatons severely divided his own cabinet.
  • D. Eaton secretly supported the nullification of federal tariffs against Jackson's direct orders.
Question 5 of 10
What was the primary source of the 'nullification' crisis that Jackson faced during his presidency?
  • A. Northern states refused to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act within their borders.
  • B. South Carolina sought the right to overturn a federal tariff law they deemed unfair to Southern farmers.
  • C. Western territories demanded the right to nullify federal banking regulations to print their own currency.
  • D. Congress attempted to pass a constitutional amendment to nullify Jackson's presidential vetoes.
Question 6 of 10
What was the broader political significance of Jackson's veto of the Maysville Road bill?
  • A. It established a new standard where the president, rather than Congress, held the ultimate power in American politics.
  • B. It proved that the federal government was willing to pay for all state-level infrastructure projects.
  • C. It led to his immediate censure by the House of Representatives and a temporary suspension of his powers.
  • D. It sparked the creation of the Whig Party, which fully supported expanding federal infrastructure spending.
Question 7 of 10
Why did Jackson wage a political war against the Bank of the United States?
  • A. The bank refused to fund his military campaigns against Native American tribes in the South.
  • B. He wanted to replace it with a centralized Federal Reserve system controlled directly by his cabinet.
  • C. The bank's president ran against him in the 1832 election and threatened his political survival.
  • D. He believed the institution held too much power, interfered with liberty, and benefited special interests rather than the public.
Question 8 of 10
What remarkable event occurred during Richard Lawrence's assassination attempt on President Jackson in 1835?
  • A. Jackson's pocket watch stopped the bullet from piercing his heart.
  • B. Both of Lawrence's pistols miraculously failed to fire, and Jackson physically attacked him with his cane.
  • C. Lawrence's gun exploded in his hand, causing a fatal injury to the assassin.
  • D. Jackson's friend Martin Van Buren jumped in front of the bullet to save the president's life.
Question 9 of 10
How was the tense dispute between the United States and France over an unpaid $5 million debt finally resolved?
  • A. Jackson ordered a successful naval bombardment of French ports to force repayment.
  • B. France agreed to cede additional western territories to the U.S. to cancel the debt.
  • C. Britain stepped in to mediate the situation, prompting the King of France to honor the debt and avoid war.
  • D. The United States Supreme Court ruled that the original treaty was unconstitutional, nullifying the debt.
Question 10 of 10
Which of the following represents one of the most tragic and inexcusable aspects of Andrew Jackson's presidential legacy?
  • A. His adamant policy of Indian Removal, which paved the way for the horrific Trail of Tears.
  • B. His establishment of the Whig Party to promote aristocratic rule over the common man.
  • C. His refusal to step down after his second term ended, sparking a brief constitutional crisis.
  • D. His decision to provoke the War of 1812 solely to gain political fame and military glory.

American Lion — Full Chapter Overview

American Lion Summary & Overview

American Lion (2008) tells the story of Andrew Jackson, America’s seventh president. These blinks describe Jackson’s rise from poverty to the White House, and how he transformed the presidency from a relatively symbolic position into a powerful vehicle for representing the interests of the people.

Who Should Listen to American Lion?

  • Historians and students of history
  • Anyone interested in American politics
  • Fans of a good biography

About the Author: Jon Meacham

Jon Meacham is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of numerous best sellers, including Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power and Franklin and Wilson. In addition to writing, he teaches at Vanderbilt University and the University of the South.

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