The Party Battles of the Jackson Period

What it is

This is a book written by historian Claude G. Bowers, first published and later reissued in an anniversary edition in 1922, marking the hundredth anniversary of the campaign that brought Jackson to the presidency. It examines the political conflicts of the Jackson period.

Why it matters

Written almost a century after Jackson's presidency, this book is an example of how historians have interpreted and retold the story of Jackson's rise and the political parties that formed around him. It shows how Jackson came to be remembered as a symbol of popular democracy in later historical writing.

Look closer

• Why might a historian in 1922 choose to write about events from a hundred years earlier?
• What does the title 'Party Battles' suggest about how the author views Jackson's era?
• How might a book written in the 1920s differ from one written during Jackson's own lifetime?