John Tyler — the Tenth President of the United States

John Tyler was the last of the Southern aristocracy to assume the office of President. He was the first Vice-President to become President upon the death of his predecessor, William Harrison, in 1841.

The political career of John Taylor began in his home state of Virginia. He was born in 1790 to John Armistead Tyler Sr. and his wife, Mary, at their plantation in Charles City County.

John Tyler served in the Senate on two occasions between 1816 and 1836. He voted against the Second National Bank of the United States and the Missouri Compromise. The states, he argued, reserved the right to decide on banking issues and slavery.

Slavery was a contentious issue between abolitionists in the North and the plantation owners in the South. John Tyler was from a slave-owning family in Virginia. He understood the fears of the South that the anti-slavery faction sought to destroy their wealth and the agricultural base.

The refusal of South Carolina to impose federal tariffs during the Nullification Crisis in 1833 induced John Tyler to leave the Democratic Party.

He joined the Whig Party despite the nationalist agenda of its founder, Henry Clay. The Whig Party supported the American System in response to a wave of nationalism in America after the War of 1812.

Henry Clay believed a strong, federal government was the only institution that could provide an economy strong enough to be independent of Britain.

Congress passed all the bills associated with the important elements of the American System between 1816 and 1828.

The American System promoted trade through the building of roads, railways and harbours. The improved infrastructure strengthened trade between the states and opened up new markets for American industry, commerce and agriculture.

The government financed the federal subsidies by selling public land and imposing high tariffs on foreign goods. The tariffs protected and boosted American industry competing with cheap imports in the home market.

The Second Bank of the United States played a central role in maintaining the economic stability of America. The policy of the bank assisted trade between the states by sustaining the strength of a uniform currency.

The government deposited federal funds from tariffs and public land sales into the Second Bank of America.

John Tyler and the Southern states opposed the American System. They were hostile to the high tariffs promoted by Henry Clay and the nationalists.

The plantation owners argued they experienced higher costs on imported goods needed to grow their cotton, tobacco and other agricultural produce. The encroaching power of the federal government threatened the wealth and rights of the Southern states.

The nationalists considered high tariffs necessary to protect industries in the North from cheap foreign goods flowing into America from Britain and Europe.

John Tyler was a staunch supporter of the South and the right of the states to self-determination. The Southern senators were in the minority in Congress and unable to effectively oppose the majority of nationalist politicians.

The divisions between North and South were apparent during the presidency of John Taylor between 1841 and 1845.

Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams endorsed John Tyler for Vice-President during the election campaign of William Henry Harrison in 1841. They hoped their campaign slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” would induce the Southern states to vote for John Tyler and William Harrison.

The Panic of 1837 persuaded the American electorate to vote for William Harrison and the Whig party. They blamed the great depression on the policies of the outgoing President Marten Van Buren and Andrew Jackson.

William Harrison promised to stimulate the economy by re-establishing the Second Bank of the United States and backing the American System.

President William Harrison died in 1841 after only a month in office. John Tyler, the Vice-President, acted decisively. HE avoided a crisis in government by assuming the duties and powers of the President.

Henry Clay was one of the most powerful politicians in America. He expected to wield significant influence in the policy decisions of William Harrison and his successor, John Tyler.

John Tyler instead pushed forward an agenda favouring states’ rights and the South. He used the presidency to veto the bills passed in Congress to re-establish the Second Bank of the United States.

There were clashes between Henry Clay and the Whig party over high tariffs. John Tyler reluctantly signed the Tariff, or Black Tariff, of 1842 into law. He previously vetoed two bills raising tariffs and giving the surplus to aid the recovery of the West.

Henry Clay used his influence to expel John Tyler from the Whig party. He publicly denounced John Tyler for reneging on the campaign promises of William Harrison as a betrayal of trust in the democratic process. The cabinet of John Tyler resigned in 1841 at the instigation of Henry Clay.

John Quincy Adams was among the critics to refer to John Tyler as “His Accidency”. The political opponents of John Tyler sarcastically referred to him as Acting President, although he refused to look at any papers addressed with the title.

John Tyler did not stand for re-election and retired to his plantation in Virginia. He led a quiet life as a Southern gentleman until he chaired the Peace Convention in 1860.

The Peace Convention was a last-ditch attempt to avert a Civil War. The Southern states began to secede from the Union after the election of President Abraham Lincoln.

The issue of slavery and states’ rights divided the nation. John Tyler returned home to Virginia and advocated war with the North.

John Tyler died in 1862 in Richmond, Virginia. He was due to take a seat in the Confederate House of Representatives. The family of John Taylor buried the former President in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.

The Twenty-fifth Amendment of 1967 enshrined the precedent set by John Tyler for a Vice President to ascend to the office of President. The same principals applied for the vacancy of Vice-President.

Please visit Amazon for John Tyler — Tenth President of the United States (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0929CB1Q1)

References

Wikipedia — John Tyler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tyler

Wikipedia — Presidency of John Tyler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_John_Tyler

Wikipedia — Julia Gardiner Tyler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Gardiner_Tyler

Wikipedia — Letitia Christian Tyler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letitia_Christian_Tyler

Wikipedia — History of slavery in Missouri: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery_in_Missouri

Wikipedia — Panic of 1819: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1819

Wikipedia — Second Bank of the United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bank_of_the_United_States

Wikipedia — Henry Clay: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Clay

The Presidents’ War: Six American Presidents and the Civil War That Divided By Chris DeRose

Wikipedia — War of 1812: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812

Wikipedia — First Bank of the United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Bank_of_the_United_States

Wikipedia — 14th United States Congress: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_United_States_Congress

Wikipedia — Greenway Plantation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenway_Plantation

Wikipedia — Tariff of 1842: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariff_of_1842#:~:text=The%20Black%20Tariff%20was%20signed,the%20government's%20land%20disbursement%20policies.&text=The%20main%20beneficiary%20industry%20to%20receive%20protection%20under%20the%20tariff%20was%20iron.

Wikisource — The Presidents of the United States, 1789–1914/John Tyler: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Presidents_of_the_United_States,_1789-1914/John_Tyler

John Tyler, the Accidental President By Edward P. Crapol: https://books.google.ie/books?id=YlbqCQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=john+tyler+in+1861&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1sIqr7ebvAhWYSBUIHcnwCr0Q6AEwAHoECAIQAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

UVA Miller Centre — JOHN TYLER: IMPACT AND LEGACY By William Freehling: https://millercenter.org/president/tyler/impact-and-legacy

UVA Miller Centre — John Tyler: Life Before the Presidency By William Feehling: https://millercenter.org/president/tyler/life-before-the-presidency

UVA Miller Centre — John Tyler: Domestic Affairs By William Feehling: https://millercenter.org/president/tyler/domestic-affairs

Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics By Edward Pessen: https://books.google.ie/books?id=XIclIRGICdQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=jacksonian+policies&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiWy_bdr_jvAhWhQhUIHfdWAtUQ6AEwAnoECAAQAg#v=onepage&q=jacksonian%20policies&f=false

Americas Library — Tyler, His Family and His Allegiance to the South: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/tyler/aa_tyler_dominion_4.html

US News — Worst Presidents: John Tyler (1841–1845) By Jay Tolson: https://www.usnews.com/news/special-reports/the-worst-presidents/articles/2014/12/17/worst-presidents-john-tyler-1841-1845

The Globalist — Panic of 1819: The First Major U.S. Depression By David Reynolds: https://www.theglobalist.com/panic-of-1819-the-first-major-u-s-depression/

History — How Presidential Assassinations Changed U.S Politics By Lindsey Konkel: https://www.history.com/news/how-presidential-assassinations-changed-u-s-politics#:~:text=The%20assassination%20of%20President%20Lincoln,office%20and%20presided%20over%20Reconstruction.

History — Julia Tyler by History.com Editors: https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/julia-tyler

History — Missouri Compromise by History.com Editors: https://www.history.com/topics/abolitionist-movement/missouri-compromise

History — John Tyler: Early Life and Children By History.com Editors: https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-tyler

White House History — The Enslaved Households of President John Taylor By Matthew Costello: https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-enslaved-households-of-president-john-tyler

White House History — John Tyler 1841–1845: https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/john-tyler