Jackson: A Novel

It is 1828.  After 9-years of living in France, Harvard graduate David Chase returned to the United States upon his father's death.  He was left nothing.  Near penniless, he sought employment; he was a writer.  As luck would have it, William Short was looking for someone to write the definitive biography of Andrew Jackson.  Chase accepted the commission.

While the presidential campaign of 1828 is played like a chess game between Andrew Jackson and President John Quincy Adams, Chase interacts with a wide variety of historical figures from the era.  In the background, the biography of Andrew Jackson is told as chapters of Chase's book.  The New Orleans campaign dominates the biography and is the source of Jackson's fame.

The book uses point-of-view characters - some real, some fictional - to tell its story.

- Andrew Jackson is central character but has a limited role as a POV character.  Painted as a man of iron will, volcanic anger, bristling gray hair, and a stick thin bean pole, Jackson is not the illiterate backwoodsman that many thought.

- John Coffee has been Jackson's friend and ally for forty years.  A bear of a man who serves as Jackson's right hand, he plays a large role in protecting Jackson from scandal and managing the campaign with Alexander Hamilton's son, James.

- John Quincy Adams is a disciplined man of great intellect and talent, but a complete lack of charisma.  His son, Charles Francis Adams, serves as his secretary and his wife, Louisa, is unhappy.  Adams comes across as hapless, though entirely laudable.

Fictional POV characters:

- David Chase is a fictional character who crisscrosses the country to research his Jackson biography.  Though American by birth, he feels like an outsider thanks to his many years in France.  Washington City is a backwater compared to Paris and Nashville even more so.  Nonetheless, he finds himself admiring Jackson with each new chapter he writes.

- Mr. Hogwood, an Englishman, proved to be the first writer that William Short had employed.  Though dismissed in favor of Chase, Hogwood provided his research so far to Chase and made introductions to his contacts in Washington City.  Many of the early chapters of Jackson's life are written by Hogwood.

- Emma Colden is Hogwood's beautiful daughter and the object of Chase's desire.  An aspiring writer herself, she frequently complains that women are not allowed such freedoms.  When she is the POV, it is usually when there is an interview with noteworthy women such as Louisa Adams or Fanny Wright.

The book paints an excellent picture of America in 1828, from Boston, to Washington City, to Nashville, to New Orleans.  Historical figures such as John Randolph, Sam Houston, John Eaton, Nicholas Trist, George Ticknor, Sarah Hale, Frances Milton Trollope, and many more have something to say about the campaign, America, women's rights, slavery, Jackson, Jefferson, and other subjects.  Here is a dynamic country where technology is racing and possibilities are limitless.

Outstanding book and highly recommended.

Presidential Rankings - The Bad Ones

To fall under the 'somewhat negative' category, Graboyes states that the president "governed badly, had serious personal failings, or both."

John Quincy Adams: A great man who rose to his highest level of incompetence.

Martin Van Buren: A fixer who was not suited to the top role.  Helpless against the Panic of 1837 that was the hangover of the Jackson years.

Lyndon Banes Johnson: One of the most skilled and competent presidents ever but his policies have left lasting damage, notably Medicare and Medicaid.  No personal ethics.  His handling of Vietnam.

Richard Nixon: Competent and skilled, he resolved LBJ's Vietnam disaster and established relations with China.  However, he embraced bad economic policies (price controls) and destroyed his presidency by his actions regarding Watergate.

Gerald Ford: Creditable job of post-Watergate leadership.  Bad foreign policy and economic policies.

Bill Clinton: Though he had the makings of a somewhat positive president with his political skills, moderated views, charming demeanor, and strong intellect, he poisoned it with his sexual scandals, financial shenanigans, perjury, and unpardonable pardons.

Barack Obama: Ended NASA monopoly on space which allowed SpaceX to flourish, took out bin Laden.  His embrace of racial division, frequent attacks on his predecessor, and beneficial treatment of Iran were harmful.  He created a cult of personality that his party has yet to overcome.

Donald Trump: Despite a long list of impressive accomplishments (Abraham Accords, Jerusalem embassy, smashing ISIS, energy independence, end of the Iran Deal, the COVID vaccine, roaring economy, low unemployment - notably for blacks and Hispanics, border enforcement, Space Force, and Judicial appointments), Trump more than offset it with his verbal diarrhea and J6 catastrophe.

Joe Biden: He reversed most of the positives of the Trump administration.  The end of energy independence once again filled the coffers of adversaries: Russia & Iran. Iran financed Hamas (October 7 attack in Israel and the latest Gaza War), Hezbollah, and the Houthis (Red Sea conflict).  Inflation.  Open border, mobs at homes of the Supreme Court, obvious signs of dementia.

Mostly, I'll agree.  He's a bit hard on Martin Van Buren.  He had some foreign policy successes that determined the borders of the United States and Canada, but that Panic of 1837 really sank him.  The Amistad was just a footnote.  Nixon established the imperial presidency, seeking to create executive positions that duplicated the Cabinet in order to expand those protected by executive privilege.  Given how many positives he lists for Trump, the negatives must really weigh a lot in his estimation.

Three Time Loser: The Corrupt Bargain!

Henry Clay was born in Virginia in 1777.  Twenty years later, he moved to Kentucky and began a law practice.  He was involved in politics from the start, having suggested revisions to the Kentucky Constitution to gradually end slavery (1799), being elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives (1803), to serving as a US Senator (1806-07, 1810-11).  He didn't much care for the Senate and pursued a career in the House of Representatives.  Despite being a freshman Congressman, Clay was elected to be Speaker of the House; he was only 34 years old.  He proved to be a commanding speaker and led the war hawks in demanding war with Britain.  Indeed, the Congress - as is its prerogative - declared war on June 18, 1812.  Two years later, Clay was selected by President Madison to join the peace commission in the Netherlands to end the war.  Also on the commission was John Quincy Adams, son of President John Adams.

In 1824, James Monroe followed the example set by Washington, Jefferson, and Madison to retire after 2 terms in office.  The Federalist Party had evaporated, which led to 4 Democratic-Republicans competing for the presidency.  There was General Andrew Jackson, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, Secretary of the Treasury William Crawford, and Speaker of the House Henry Clay.  With so many candidates, Clay was certain that no one would gain enough electoral votes to win; that would send the election to the House of Representatives.  He was certain that he would be chosen in the body he led.  Though it was a sound plan, Clay placed fourth and the 12th Amendment only allowed the House to select among the top three.  Foiled!  It was his first losing run for the presidency.

Though he could not win, he had the power to select among the three.  William Crawford had suffered a stroke and was unsuited to the presidency at this point.  There was bad blood between Clay and Jackson.  In 1818, Jackson had invaded Spanish Florida and hanged two British subjects.  Clay found this outrageous and accused him of being a potential military dictator, like Bonaparte, Cromwell, Caesar, or Alexander the Great.  Though Jackson had the largest vote total of the three candidates, Clay would not lobby in favor of him.  That left his former peace commission colleague, John Quincy Adams.

John Quincy Adams was chosen by the House as the next president.  It is noteworthy that Adams had been serving as President Monroe's Secretary of State.  Each of his three predecessors - Monroe, Madison, and Jefferson - had served as Secretary of State.  It was a training ground for future presidents.  President Adams selected Henry Clay to be his Secretary of State.

If there had been bad blood between Clay and Jackson before, this greatly exacerbated the feud.  Jackson declared a 'Corrupt Bargain' had been struck where Clay supported Adams in exchange for the prime cabinet post.  There would be a rematch in 1828.

Amistad (1997)

It is 1839 and La Amistad, a Spanish schooner, is asea with a cargo hold full of slaves.  The slaves break free of their chains and kill most of the Spanish crew.  Those Spaniards left alive are ordered to sail the ship to Africa.  Of course, the sailors deceive the slaves by sailing toward the sunrise by day but turn around at night.  Eventually, the Amistad is intercepted by an American ship and taken to Connecticut.  Initially, it is assumed that a slave revolt had occurred, in which case the slaves would be executed and the Spaniards allowed to leave with their ship.  However, it was instead determined that the 'slaves' were from Africa.  The African slave trade is illegal.  Ergo, these are not slaves, but free men who had every right to kill those who held them in bondage.  This was an inconvenient conclusion for both Spain and the United States.  President Van Buren (Nigel Hawthorne) wanted the ship and slaves sent back to Cuba or Spain, anywhere that would make them someone else's problem.

Abolitionist Lewis Tappan (Stellan Skarsgard) eagerly takes up the case of the enslaved Africans.  He hires Roger Sherman Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey) to argue the case.  As the Africans don't speak English, it is necessary to find an interpreter, who happens to be sailor currently in port, James Covey (Chiwetel Ejiofor).  Now they can interview the Africans and get the story, most importantly that of their leader, Cinque (Djimon Hounsou).  Despite difficulties, Baldwin wins the case!  But the government appeals to the Supreme Court.  Now former President and current Congressman John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) joins the case to argue the Africans' cause.

Overall, the movie gets the story correct.  However, there are many details over which to quibble.  Roger Baldwin is painted as a poor young lawyer who is getting his first big case.  McConaughey was in his late 20s when the movie was made.  The real Roger Baldwin was in his mid-40s and from a prominent family.  Queen Isabella II (Anna Paquin) was not yet of age to rule.  Those scenes where her advisors talk to her about the slave ship in American are just nonsense.  Queen Maria Christina was the regent during most of the Amistad drama.  Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman) is a fictional character; why?  What, you don't have enough characters already that you want to spend some screen time with a fictional one?

President Van Buren is treated badly by the script.  First, he did not go on the campaign trail to kiss babies and give stump speeches.  Campaigns were run by surrogates while the candidate stayed home.  Whistle stops are decades in the future.  Nor was he photographed while in office; the first president photographed in office was James K Polk in 1849.  That John C Calhoun should show up to a state dinner and embarrass Van Buren in front of the Spanish Minister is unthinkable.  Van Buren was a gifted politician (earning nicknames such as Little Magician and Red Fox of Kinderhook) who was the tactician behind President Andrew Jackson.  There is a reason that Jackson selected Van Buren as his successor.  Casting Nigel Hawthorne, who had recently (1994) portrayed the mentally disturbed King George III, further diminishes Van Buren.  He is walked over by his own cabinet secretaries, browbeaten by his opponents, and generally shown to be incompetent.  Good grief!

By contrast, John Quincy Adams comes across as the greatest former president who ever was.  Where most presidents vanish into retirement, Adams was elected to the House of Representatives only a couple of years after his presidency and remained there until he died in 1848.  During his lifetime, he had spent time in all the political parties (Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, Anti-Masonic, and finally Whig).  Hopkins does a great job with the character.

Overall, the film has uneven pacing and not enough focus.  Spielberg is telling too many stories.  If this was a mini-series, all of these characters could have arcs, but not here.  Dump the scenes in Spain, leave Van Buren out, delete the fictional characters, and focus on the story on Cinque.  Act 1, the revolt on the Amistad to the capture.  Act 2, the first trial where Baldwin wins.  Act 3, the Supreme Court and John Quincy Adams.  The rest is just filler that takes away from this central story and these most important characters.

Entertaining but not particularly educational.  The best part is Hopkins as JQ Adams.