American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

American Lion is a biography of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States. It does not cover his whole life in detail; its focus is his presidency and his household in the White House. It opens just after his victory in the 1828 election and the death of his wife, Rachel, then sketches his early life, his military career and his rise in politics.

Much attention goes to the Bank War, the federal tariff and the Petticoat affair. Jon Meacham drew partly on letters and diaries from Jackson’s circle that had been in private hands for 175 years.