Andrew Jackson and those Tennesseans who, along with him, were a major force in Tennessee and American political life can best be understood by examining the political culture they all shared. The ten men studied here were the children or grandchildren of immigrants from either the Scottish lowlands or the north of Ireland. All experienced the rise from the yeoman/artisan class to that of landed gentry, and all displayed in their adult lives the influence of that move from one socioeconomic class to another. This view of Jackson and his closest friends suggests a view of these men's motives; their values, attitudes, and beliefs were somewhat different than historians have pictured for us. These Jacksonians sought to preserve the world of their fathers while changing their place in the world. They looked back but moved ahead; they were self-interested but tempered always by a selfless ideal.
| Preface | ||
| Introduction | 1 | |
| 1 | Home Left, Home Found | 7 |
| 2 | Andrew Jackson: In Search of Honor, in Defense of Reputation | 19 |
| 3 | John Overton: The Power Behind the Throne | 35 |
| 4 | John Coffee: Kin but by Blood | 41 |
| 5 | George Washington Campbell: Jackson's Man in the East | 49 |
| 6 | William B. Lewis: The Loyal Retainer | 57 |
| 7 | William Carroll: The People's Advocate | 65 |
| 8 | Hugh Lawson White: The Tennessee "Brutus" | 73 |
| 9 | John Henry Eaton: A Lost Man | 83 |
| 10 | James K. Polk: The Cause Above All Else | 91 |
| 11 | Sam Houston: The Prodigal Son | 99 |
| Epilogue | 109 | |
| Bibliography | 111 | |
| Index | 119 |
Overview
Andrew Jackson and those Tennesseans who, along with him, were a major force in Tennessee and American political life can best be understood by examining the political culture they all shared. The ten men studied here were the children or grandchildren of immigrants from either the Scottish lowlands or the north of Ireland. All experienced the rise from the yeoman/artisan class to that of landed gentry, and all displayed in their adult lives the influence of that move from one socioeconomic class to another. This...