Overview

The first vice president to become president on the death of the incumbent, John Tyler (1790-1862) was derided by critics as His Accidency. In this biography of the tenth president, Edward P. Crapol challenges depictions of Tyler as a die-hard advocate of states' rights, limited government, and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. Instead, he argues, Tyler manipulated the Constitution to increase the executive power of the presidency. Crapol also highlights Tyler's faith in America's national destiny and his belief that boundless territorial expansion would preserve the Union as a slaveholding republic. When Tyler sided with the Confederacy in 1861, he was branded as America's traitor president for having betrayed the republic he once led.

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9781469602288

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[A] well-written, enlightening biography. . . . A balanced view of a neglected U.S. President. -- CHOICE A commendable study that judiciously measures Tyler's qualities and real accomplishments while acknowledging his personal faults and policy mistakes. . . . A fine study of the enigmatic career of John Tyler. -- Register of the Kentucky Historical Society A masterful and mostly sympathetic study of the 10th president. . . . A fascinating and lively read. -- Virginia Pilot Crapol is to be congratulated for giving us a concise scholarly discussion of a forgotten president. -- Virginia Magazine This revelatory study adds a welcomed fresh dimension to the history and historiography of antebellum expansion and diplomacy. -- Journal of Southern History

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