Alex Laird
Hist 1301
November 8, 2015
Renee Celeste
Andrew Jackson’s search for Vindication In Andrew Jackson and the Search for Vindication by James C. Curtis you get to see how Andrew Jackson grew up. We also get to watch how his life really was. Curtis shows his temper, all the duels he was a part of and every position he ever held. Jackson makes many friends and enemies along the way. Through Curtis we see the life of Andrew Jackson from a young age until his death. During the first few pages of the book we get a glimpse of Jackson’s childhood and his mother. Curtis shows how his mother wanted him to become a preacher and how religious she was. He shows how Jackson felt when his mother cared for his brother who had smallpox more than she cared for him who was also very ill. She also left him home very ill to go off to care for his cousins and never returned. As Curtis goes through the story we see Jackson become a troubled boy, “The passage of time brought little relief.…show more content… He tells the story in chronological order for the most part. He also doesn’t spend too much time talking about the people that only make a short appearance in the book. He introduces a person, their relation to Jackson, and what makes them relevant. Curtis talks about the rage that Jackson tried very hard to keep in control and the many duels he declared because someone disgraced his family name. If there was one thing that would grind his gears more than anything it was slashing his reputation. The duels were to prove he was the better man but even though he would win it did not always do positive things for his name. “‘If ever you have to vindicate your feelings or your honor, do it calmly,’ his mother had said. ‘Avoid quarrels as long as you can, but sustain your manhood always.’” (pg. 36). He did not always follow what his mother said, most of the time he went straight for offering a duel to solve most of his
