John Tyler, the Accidental President

by Edward P. Crapol

Book 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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807872237
• ISBN13: 9780807872239
• Release Date: January 2012
• Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
• Length: 360 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

John Tyler Accidental President

relatively new work on Tyler but very well written. great tale about a man who didn't really know what to do but did what he felt was right. a look into how Tyler became a President without a party. 1st vice president to ascend to presidency through the death of a sitting president. It wasn't easy for him.

A very nuanced, even-handed treatment of our tenth president

I highly recommend this book as a very well-written and thoughtful narrative of Tyler's presidency, his political thought, and of the political conflicts of his time. While not acting as an apologist for Tyler, the author nonetheless portrays "His Accidency" as a visionary leader and forceful chief executive who successfully balanced a range of diplomatic challenges in his brief, not quite four year term, concluding with the annexation of Texas in the final days of his presidency. In Crapol's hands, Tyler also comes across as a skillful political artisan, carefully nurturing the diplomatic skills of the secretary of state he interited from Harrison--Daniel Webster--until the president began his push for the annexation of Texas, which Webster opposed. Tyler also faced domestic opposition from his erstwhile Whig allies, led by Henry Clay of Kentucky. Unfortunately, the author does not choose to play up or accent this relationship, and Tyler's veto of Clay's bank bill, and Tyler's eventual abandonment of, and by, the Whig Party that elected him is given somewhat short thrift here. Crapol does, however, provide considerable discussion and analysis of Tyler's foreign policy initiatives in China, the South Pacific, and in handling a conflict with England over the Canada-Maine border. Crapol also devotes a good deal of time, I think appropriately, to Tyler's belief in the country's Exceptionalism and Manifest Destiny and how the South's "peculiar institution" of slavery fit into that vision of national greatness and continental expansion. Like other Southern defenders of slavery, Tyler apparently believed that the conflicts over slavery would be reduced if it was allowed to be diffused throughout the territories and if the country was able to likewise expand across the continent and beyond. There are some unanswered questions here, however. I was left wondering if Tyler--and those of like minds whom Crapol also discusses--believed in "diffusion" for purposes of political expediency or as a means of reducing the potential for racial conflict and slave insurrections that were always a potential and sometimes realized risk to the South from its peculiar institution. Perhaps both motives drove Tyler's view of slavery and American destiny. In any event, at the end of his life, Tyler appeared to believe so heartily in the role of slavery in the support of empire that he sided with his native south and voted in Virginia's secession convention to withdraw from the union which he once led because of it. One considerable gap in this book is the minimal attention given to Tyler's family life, which in the case of the tenth president was quite unique, as he fathered some 15 children. It would have made for a stronger connection between reader and subject if more attention has been paid to this unique aspect of Tyler's life. On the plus side, the author's minimization of Tyler's family life and earlier experiences allowed for a more detailed discussion of

Good book and interesting life

John Tyler was the 10th president of the United states and led a troubled presidency. Crapol presents the information in a different way. It is a very thorough book but it is organized by topic and not chronologically so it can be hard to follow at times. Tyler helped shepard in the start of American ascendancy especially with regards to Texas. He helped bring about the acquisition of Hawaii as a protectorate and started making inroads in China. The prospects of the Civil war begin during his administration and his staunch southern stance continues to be a problem even after he leaves office. The book is very well written and does a great job of introducing a little know president.

The Accidental President Revealed

John Tyler was referred to derisively as "The Accidental President." Why? He was the Vice-President elected as Old Tippecanoe, William Henry Harrison, became President. Within a shockingly short period, Harrison dies and Tyler became acting President. Since he was the first Vice President to ascend to the presidency, there were no precedents to guide him and the country. One of his major contributions was, simply, to take firm hold of the Presidency and act as if he were President. This biography does a nice job of introducing us to one of the lesser known presidents of the United States. Edward Crapol, the author, believes that (page 3) ". . .[Tyler] was a stronger and more effective president than generally remembered." If one accept that sentiment by book's end, then Crapol has written an effective work. If one does not accept that conclusion, then this book, obviously, will not be compelling. Tyler was one of those cross-pressured southern politicians who was, on the one hand, most uncomfortable with slavery as an institution, but, on the other, wed to the ways of the South, which, of course, were based on slavery. Crapol argues that Tyler felt that by expanding the size of the republic, "diffusion" would occur. That is (page 37), "Development over space would thin out and diffuse the slave population and, with fewer blacks in some of the older slave states of the upper south, it might become politically feasible to abolish slavery in states like Virginia." Tyler himself, it should be mentioned, was a slaveholder. As a result of this "diffusion" argument, Tyler was even more motivated to expand the republic when he became president. He appears to have believed in a national manifest destiny, with the scope of the American state expanding from sea to sea. Among key initiatives that suggested his expansive view of America's destiny: his keenness on advancing American interests around the Pacific Rim (from Hawaii to China); his movement toward annexing the Republic of Texas as one of the American states (as a slave state); his interest in considering California as a potential free state. Interestingly, some have suggested that Tyler's efforts to exercise power mark him as historically important. The author notes that (page 281) "Arthur Schlesinger, a historian who has traced the development of what he has labeled `the imperial presidency,' credited John Tyler, along with James K. Polk, for the rescue and deliverance of the Jacksonian doctrine of presidential power and independence." In the end, Tyler's desire to serve a second term was thwarted, as the enemies within his party made that impossible. The last part of his life is somewhat unfortunate. He ended up supporting secession and lived long enough to see the early part of the Civil War. This book is interesting for making the case that Tyler is a more important figure than often recognized. The author provides good context and enough detail for readers to determine