Jacksonland

President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab

By: Steve Inskeep

Narrated by: Steve Inskeep

Jacksonland is the thrilling narrative history of two men - President Andrew Jackson and Cherokee chief John Ross - who led their respective nations at a crossroads of American history.

Five decades after the Revolutionary War, the United States approached a constitutional crisis. At its center stood two former military comrades locked in a struggle that tested the boundaries of our fledgling democracy. Jacksonland is their story.

One man we recognize: Andrew Jackson - war hero, populist, and exemplar of the expanding South - whose first major initiative as president instigated the massive expulsion of Native Americans known as the Trail of Tears. The other is a half-forgotten figure: John Ross - a mixed-race Cherokee politician and diplomat - who used the United States’ own legal system and democratic ideals to oppose Jackson. Representing one of the Five Civilized Tribes who had adopted the ways of white settlers - cultivating farms, publishing a newspaper in their own language, and sending children to school - Ross championed the tribes’ cause all the way to the Supreme Court. He gained allies like Senator Henry Clay, Chief Justice John Marshall, and even Davy Crockett.

In a fight that seems at once distant and familiar, Ross and his allies made their case in the media, committed civil disobedience, and benefited from the first mass political action by American women. Their struggle contained ominous overtures of later events like the Civil War and set the pattern for modern-day politics. At stake in this struggle was the land of the Five Civilized Tribes. In shocking detail, Jacksonland reveals how Jackson, as a general, extracted immense wealth from his own armies’ conquest of native lands. Later, as president, Jackson set in motion the seizure of tens of millions of acres - “Jacksonland” - in today’s Deep South.

Jacksonland is the work of renowned journalist Steve Inskeep, cohost of NPR’s Morning Edition, who offers here a heart-stopping narrative masterpiece, a tragedy of American history that feels ripped from the headlines in its immediacy, drama, and relevance to our lives. Harrowing, inspiring, and deeply moving, Inskeep’s Jacksonland is the story of America at a moment of transition, when the fate of states and nations was decided by the actions of two heroic yet tragically opposed men.

©2015 Steve Inskeep (P)2015 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Inskeep tells this, one of the most tragic and transformative stories in American history, in swift, confident, colorful strokes. So well, and so intimately, does he know his subject that the reader comes away feeling as if Jackson and Ross’s epic struggle for the future of their nations took place yesterday rather than nearly two hundred years ago.” (Candice Millard, author of Destiny of the Republic and The River of Doubt)

"Grounded in vivid primary sources, it is also a moving tale of leadership, betrayal and (violated) minority rights, culminating in the tragedies we know as Indian removal and the Trail of Tears.... Jacksonland successfully transports readers to an era when travel was slow and dangerous, racial and sectional divisions growing, and America very much a work in progress.... Inskeep writes with the urgency of a thriller, a cinematic eye and a consciousness that even history's apparent losers won occasional important battles." (Chicago Tribune)

"The narrative reads as if written by a watchful observer. It brings a part of history alive that is not usually discussed with this much depth." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Excellent Historic Research, Engaging

What did you love best about Jacksonland?

The author/reader has a superb voice, and wrote in a most-engaging manner. The story is horrific, and sad, but deserves to be known. The author has done us all a great service in putting together the story and presenting it in a way that the listener will find simply draws him/her in to keep listening until the story is completed. This is history that should be well-known to all residents ot North America, especially white American citizens. Thank you, Mr. Inskeep for this valuable public service!

And I thought Jefferson was bad

I new that Jackson " acquired" land for the United States. but I had no idea how ruthless this man could be.

Sad

I knew I didn't like Andrew Jackson before this book, but listening to the double dealing and unfair treatment shown native Americans, I really don't like him.

I learned so much about this era that Jackson's biography didn't tell me. The fact that the Cherokee had set up permanent settlements, and had adopted so much of the American lifestyle was totally new to me. The funny thing is, I live in Cherokee County GA and had no idea of that history.

The author's read was excellent. He was easy to listen to and mostly had good pronunciation. Except for Georgia place names where Native American and Spanish names are pronounced very "Southern".

Overall, very educational!

Well researched and interesting

Those NPR fans who are familiar with Steve Inskeep's voice will really appreciate his narration. Such a smooth delivery that emphasizes the key elements that he wanted to highlight when he wrote the book.
The research that went into writing this book is amazing. The letters and other firsthand accounts really brought this history to life.
I really enjoyed how he related this period in American history to the present day.

Captivating!

Loved it! The best book on the subject, that I've found. Highly recommend this book.

They Are Still There

The last sentence says it all. Great story about a disgraceful chapter in American history.

Immensely Important

Well written, fully fleshed out offering about a subject matter that is easy to ignore and hard to research. I liked how the author considered the whole with out getting too bogged down in the minute.

The older I get, the more I want to understand where I come from. This tells part of my story. It likely tells yours, too, in some form or fashion.

A Fine Light on young America

What made the experience of listening to Jacksonland the most enjoyable?

It had an adoration that elevated the whole subject. Indians as well early Americans were treated humanely. Some of the history was brutal, but Steve Inskeep navigated it deftly.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Jacksonland?

Lots of curious elements made for interesting listening. Jackson leading Cherokee volunteers was pretty incredible.

Which scene was your favorite?

I was drawn to politics, and Jackson and Henry Clay.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, and a map may have helped me. I kept thinking of Lenard Skynard and Muscle Shoals.

Any additional comments?

I may have more empathy for the South after this.

Better Book

One of the better books I had listed to. Goes into detail. The reader had a smooth voice.

Good read, shameful story

This is a well written dual biography. It covers the early 19th century landgrab by the federal government -- breaking almost every treaty it had made with the Native Americans.