John Tyler: Unexpected
2023-04-30
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1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.
2Today we are talking about a vice president.
3John Tyler was William Henry Harrison's partner on the ticket in the 1840 election; he was the "Tyler" of the campaign slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too."
4But only one month into his term as president, Harrison unexpectedly died.
5He was the first U.S. president to die in office.
6Today, Americans accept that when that happens, the vice president becomes the president.
7But in 1841, no one really knew what to do.
8So people turned to the Constitution.
9It said if the president is removed from office, or if he dies, resigns, or is not able to perform his duties, his power and responsibility is given to the vice president.
10But the meaning of those words was unclear.
11Did the vice president really become the president, or did the vice president just act like the president?
12The Constitution may not have been clear, but John Tyler was.
13He claimed that, after Harrison's death, he really was the president.
14Tyler made sure he was quickly sworn-in. He answered only to the title "president."
15He even refused to open letters that were sent to "Acting President Tyler."
16Eventually, Americans accepted John Tyler was the nation's 10th president.
17But some Americans were not happy about that fact.
18During his presidency, all but one of Tyler's cabinet advisors resigned, and members of his own party tried to impeach him.
19Tyler was from the southern state of Virginia, home to five earlier U.S. presidents.
20Like many of the leaders before him, he was a lawyer from an upper class family who owned slaves.
21He strongly supported the power of the states against the federal government, expansion of slavery, and rule by a small, elite group.
22But the United States was starting to change.
23For example, President John Quincy Adams had proposed creating a national system of roads.
24The Missouri Compromise of 1820 limited slavery in new states in the northwest.
25And in the 1830s, many white men who did not own property earned the right to vote.
26In other words, the U.S. was becoming more national, abolitionist, and equal.
27Tyler resisted these changes. He fought against them as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, a governor of Virginia, and a senator.
28His fight reached a crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson.
29The two men belonged to the same party, the Democratic Party.
30However, Tyler hated Jackson's populist policies and use of presidential powers against the states.
31In the middle of the 1830s, Tyler joined with several other political leaders to create a new, anti-Jackson party.
32They were called the Whigs.
33The new Whig party badly wanted to win the 1840 presidential election against Jackson's right hand man, Martin Van Buren.
34They proposed John Tyler as the party's vice presidential candidate because they hoped he would appeal to southern voters.
35The Whigs succeeded. Tyler and Harrison won the election.
36The new party expected that they would be able to achieve many of their policy goals.
37But then Harrison died, and Tyler unexpectedly became president.
38Tyler kept Harrison's cabinet of top advisers.
39But he did not accept their advice.
40Whig lawmakers presented bill after bill to Tyler, but he failed to support the measures.
41He believed they gave too much power to the federal government over the states.
42In anger, all but one of Tyler's cabinet members resigned.
43Then Whig leaders officially declared that Tyler was no longer part of their group.
44The following year they even moved to impeach him.
45He became known as a president without a party.
46Tyler was able to achieve one major political act, however.
47Three days before he left office, he signed the law that made Texas a state.
48Perhaps wisely, Tyler withdrew from the next presidential election.
49He eventually withdrew even his support for the federal government.
50He became a leader in the movement for Southern secession.
51In other words, he believed the Southern states had the right to separate from the North and leave the Union.
52In time, the separation between the South and North would lead to the Civil War.
53Tyler was an unusual president.
54He took office in an unusual way, and he took the unusual step of vetoing legislative action proposed by his own party.
55His family life has other unusual details.
56Tyler was the first president to get married while in office.
57He was the president with the most children.
58And two of his grandchildren remained alive until well into the 21st century.
59In 1844, Tyler married Julia Gardiner.
60She was his second wife.
61His first wife, Letitia, had died two years earlier.
62John and Letitia Tyler had eight children together.
63Since Julia Gardiner Tyler was 24 years old -- 30 years younger than her new husband -- the two had plenty of time to have another seven children.
64And, because one of their sons had children in the 1920s, two of Tyler's grandchildren are still alive as of early 2017.
65Tyler is not remembered as a good president.
66But he is remembered for establishing a precedent - a way of doing something that other people have followed.
67The Tyler precedent permitted the peaceful of transfer of power from president to vice president in 1841.
68And it eased the transition after other presidents have died since then.
69In 1967, the Constitution was even changed to clarify what Tyler had claimed all along: when the president dies, the vice president becomes the new chief executive.
70I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.
1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents. 2Today we are talking about a vice president. John Tyler was William Henry Harrison's partner on the ticket in the 1840 election; he was the "Tyler" of the campaign slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too." 3But only one month into his term as president, Harrison unexpectedly died. He was the first U.S. president to die in office. Today, Americans accept that when that happens, the vice president becomes the president. But in 1841, no one really knew what to do. 4So people turned to the Constitution. 5It said if the president is removed from office, or if he dies, resigns, or is not able to perform his duties, his power and responsibility is given to the vice president. 6But the meaning of those words was unclear. Did the vice president really become the president, or did the vice president just act like the president? 7The Constitution may not have been clear, but John Tyler was. He claimed that, after Harrison's death, he really was the president. 8Tyler made sure he was quickly sworn-in. He answered only to the title "president." He even refused to open letters that were sent to "Acting President Tyler." 9Eventually, Americans accepted John Tyler was the nation's 10th president. 10But some Americans were not happy about that fact. During his presidency, all but one of Tyler's cabinet advisors resigned, and members of his own party tried to impeach him. 11Early life 12Tyler was from the southern state of Virginia, home to five earlier U.S. presidents. Like many of the leaders before him, he was a lawyer from an upper class family who owned slaves. He strongly supported the power of the states against the federal government, expansion of slavery, and rule by a small, elite group. 13But the United States was starting to change. For example, President John Quincy Adams had proposed creating a national system of roads. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 limited slavery in new states in the northwest. And in the 1830s, many white men who did not own property earned the right to vote. 14In other words, the U.S. was becoming more national, abolitionist, and equal. 15Tyler resisted these changes. He fought against them as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, a governor of Virginia, and a senator. 16His fight reached a crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. The two men belonged to the same party, the Democratic Party. However, Tyler hated Jackson's populist policies and use of presidential powers against the states. 17In the middle of the 1830s, Tyler joined with several other political leaders to create a new, anti-Jackson party. They were called the Whigs. 18Presidency 19The new Whig party badly wanted to win the 1840 presidential election against Jackson's right hand man, Martin Van Buren. They proposed John Tyler as the party's vice presidential candidate because they hoped he would appeal to southern voters. 20The Whigs succeeded. Tyler and Harrison won the election. The new party expected that they would be able to achieve many of their policy goals. 21But then Harrison died, and Tyler unexpectedly became president. Tyler kept Harrison's cabinet of top advisers. But he did not accept their advice. 22Whig lawmakers presented bill after bill to Tyler, but he failed to support the measures. He believed they gave too much power to the federal government over the states. 23In anger, all but one of Tyler's cabinet members resigned. 24Then Whig leaders officially declared that Tyler was no longer part of their group. The following year they even moved to impeach him. 25He became known as a president without a party. 26Tyler was able to achieve one major political act, however. Three days before he left office, he signed the law that made Texas a state. 27Perhaps wisely, Tyler withdrew from the next presidential election. 28He eventually withdrew even his support for the federal government. He became a leader in the movement for Southern secession. 29In other words, he believed the Southern states had the right to separate from the North and leave the Union. In time, the separation between the South and North would lead to the Civil War. 30Family 31Tyler was an unusual president. He took office in an unusual way, and he took the unusual step of vetoing legislative action proposed by his own party. 32His family life has other unusual details. Tyler was the first president to get married while in office. He was the president with the most children. And two of his grandchildren remained alive until well into the 21st century. 33In 1844, Tyler married Julia Gardiner. She was his second wife. His first wife, Letitia, had died two years earlier. 34John and Letitia Tyler had eight children together. Since Julia Gardiner Tyler was 24 years old -- 30 years younger than her new husband -- the two had plenty of time to have another seven children. 35And, because one of their sons had children in the 1920s, two of Tyler's grandchildren are still alive as of early 2017. 36Legacy 37Tyler is not remembered as a good president. But he is remembered for establishing a precedent - a way of doing something that other people have followed. 38The Tyler precedent permitted the peaceful of transfer of power from president to vice president in 1841. And it eased the transition after other presidents have died since then. 39In 1967, the Constitution was even changed to clarify what Tyler had claimed all along: when the president dies, the vice president becomes the new chief executive. 40I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. 41Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 42______________________________________________________________ 43Words in This Story 44slogan - n. a word or phrase that is easy to remember and is used by a group or business to attract attention 45elite - n. the people who have the most wealth and status in a society 46abolitionist - n. a person who wants to stop or abolish slavery 47achieve - v. to get or reach (something) by working hard 48secession - n. the act of separating from a nation or state and becoming independent 49transfer - v. to give rights to another person 50executive - n. a person who manages or directs other people in a company or organization 51We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.