Crapol also highlights Tyler's enduring faith in America's national destiny and his belief that boundless territorial expansion would preserve the Union as a slaveholding republic. When Tyler, a Virginian, opted for secession and the Confederacy in 1861, he was stigmatized as America's "traitor" president for having betrayed the republic he once led. As Crapol demonstrates, Tyler's story anticipates the modern imperial presidency in all its power and grandeur, as well as its darker side.
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Background Information
The dividing line between the powers of the federal government, designated by the Constitution, and those reserved for the states has long been controversial. From the American Revolution on, people migrated steadily west to more open spaces until the frontier finally closed in the late 19th century.