A Jackson Man: Amos Kendall and the Rise of American Democracy (Southern Biography Series)

By Donald B. Cole

Book Overview

A rare, fascinating personality emerges in Donald B. Cole's biography of Amos Kendall (1789-1869), the reputed intellectual engine behind Andrew Jackson's administration and an influential figure in the transformation of young America from an agrarian republic to a capitalist democracy. After helping Jackson with the election of 1828, Kendall became the president's chief advisor - speech writer, postmaster general, and author of the famous veto of the bill to recharter the Bank of the United States. Born on a small Massachusetts farm and educated at Dartmouth, Kendall moved to Kentucky as a young man to seek his fortune and eventually became one of the very few nationally prominent antebellum politicians who successfully combined northern origins and southern experience. Kendall's role in democratizing American politics is shown in a compelling narrative of his evolution from a republican idealist to a democratic individualist who contributed greatly to the rise of the Democratic party. communications revolution: he was deeply involved in the expansion of the post office and of the telegraph, and as a philanthropist he founded the school for the deaf that became Gallaudet College. Unforgettable in appearance and manner - a gaunt, whitehaired, reclusive hypochondriac - he inspired mystery as well as awe in admirers and enemies. In his ascent from a struggling jack-of-all-trades to a wealthy Washingtonian, he exemplified the American self-made man. The first biography of Kendall, this superbly written and researched volume unfolds the progression of American democracy and the culture that created it.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807129305
• ISBN13: 9780807129302
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Louisiana State Univ Pr
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.5" x 6.0"