Andrew Jackson Av Teri Kanefield

<P><B>This biography for young readers explores the life of the controversial seventh U.S. president, as well as his successes, failures, and legacy.</B></P><P>Born in the Carolina backwoods, Andrew Jackson joined the American Revolutionary War at the age of thirteen. After a reckless youth of gunfights, gambling, and general mischief, he rose to national fame as the general who defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans.</P><P>Jackson ran for president as a political outsider, championing the interest of common farmers and frontiersmen. Determined to take down the wealthy, well-educated East Coast “elites,” he pledged to destroy the national bank—which he believed was an engine of corruption serving the interest of bankers and industrialists. A staunch nationalist, he sought to secure and expand the nation''s borders.</P><P> Believing that "we the people" included white men only, he protected the practice of slavery, and opened new lands for white settlers by pushing the Native people westward. Jackson, a polarizing figure in his era, ignited a populist movement that remains a powerful force in our national politics. The book includes selections of Jackson''s writings, endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.</P><P>“A concise profile that successfully reveals Jackson''s personal complexities and contradictions and his controversial legacy as a public figure.” —<I>Kirkus Reviews</I></P>