Presidential Chronicles

John Tyler #4: Whig VP (1836-1841); Topics covered include: Leaves Democratic Party, joins Whig Party (despite at odds with most policies), President of the Virginia Colonization Society, receives Whig nomination for Vice President, wins election with President William Henry Harrison, attends inauguration, and returns home to Virginia Key people: Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren, and William Henry Har...

John Tyler #3: Jacksonian Conflict (1831-1837) ; Topics covered include: U.S. Senator, conflicts with President Andrew Jackson, Nullification Crisis, Force Bill, compromise tariff legislation, battle over the Bank of the United States, opposes removal of Federal funds from the Bank and the Specie Circular, censure of Andrew Jackson, and resign seat over conflict with instruction from Virginia legi...

John Tyler #2: Opposition in the Senate (1827-1830); Topics covered include: Elected U.S. Senate, political philosophy (individual liberty and states' rights), opposes agenda of John Quincy Adams, Election of 1828, attends Virginia Constitutional Convention, and life at home Key people: John Randolph, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Marshall, Le...

John Tyler #1: In His Father's Footsteps (1790-1826); Topics covered include: Family heritage, attends William & Mary, legal studies, elected Virginia House of Delegates at 21, marries Letitia Christian, elected Council of State, elected U.S. House of Representatives, run-ins with Andrew Jackson, returns to the House of Delegates, elected Governor of Virginia, and presides over the funeral...

William Henry Harrison #10: The Briefest Presidency (1841); Topics covered include: Arrives in Washington, DC, focus on Cabinet and Inaugural Address, longest Address in presidential history (covered in detail), conflict with Henry Clay, suffers illness March 25, and dies April 4 Key people: Anna Harrison, Martin Van Buren, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Andrew Jackson, and Thomas Miller For more inf...

William Henry Harrison #9: Log Cabin and Hard Cider Campaign (1836-1840); Topics covered include: Election of 1836, Presidency of Martin Van Buren, economic panic, Election of 1840, wins Whig nomination, Hard Cider and Log Cabin Campaign, "Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too," and victory Key people: Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Henry Clay, Hugh White, Daniel Webster, Willie Mangum, Winfield...

William Henry Harrison #8: Colombia and Back (1828-1834); Topics covered include: U.S. Senator, Minister to Colombia, relations with the government of Simon Bolivar, recalled, letter to Bolivar (not well received), returns to the U.S., unemployed and deep in debt, death of son (Symmes), birth of grandson (Benjamin, future President), and gets job as the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas Key peopl...

William Henry Harrison #7: National Politics (1814-1824); Topics covered include: Serves as peace envoy to Indians after the War of 1812, Accused of corruption, elected U.S. House of Representatives, exonerated from accusations, views on slavery, comparison with Andrew Jackson, and election to the U.S. Senate Key people: John Armstrong, James Madison, Benjamin Orr, Richard Johnson, and Andrew Jack...

William Henry Harrison #6: Victory! … and Sidelined (1813-1814); Topics covered include: Battle of Lake Erie, capture of Detroit, Battle of the Thames, death of Tecumseh, conflict with Secretary of War John Armstrong, resigns commission as Major General in the U.S. Army Key people: Oliver Perry, Henry Proctor, Isaac Shelby, Richard Johnson, Tecumseh, George McClure, and John Armstrong For more inf...

William Henry Harrison #5: War! (1812-1813); Topics covered include: Relations with Britain and France, impressment, War of 1812, Major General Kentucky militia, Battle of Fort Wayne, Major General regular army, Battle of the River Raisin, construction and defense of Fort Meigs, and seige by the British and their Indian allies Key people: James Madison, William Hull, James Winchester, Charles Scot...

William Henry Harrison #4: Tippecanoe (1811); Topics covered include: Governor Indiana Territory, tensions with Indians, builds Fort Harrison, moves to disband Prophetstown, Battle of Tippecanoe River, Prophetstown abandoned and burned, and deals with criticism over the engagement Key people: James Madison, John Boyd, Chief White Horse, and The Prophet For more information on the "Presidentia...

William Henry Harrison #3: Tecumseh and The Prophet (1806-1810); Topics covered include: Governor Indiana Territory, Indian relations particularly with Tecumseh and The Prophet, Treaty of Fort Wayne, and council with Indians at Grouseland Key people: Tecumseh, The Prophet, and James Madison For more information on the "Presidential Chronicles" series, please visit https://www.presidentia...

William Henry Harrison #2: Frontier Politician (1978-1805); Topics covered include: Commander Fort Washington, appointed Secretary of the Northwest Territory, farmer, non-voting member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Governor Indiana Territory, moves to Vincennes, builds Grouseland, relations with Indians, and pursuit of slavery in the Northwest Territory Key people: John Adams, Arthur St. C...

William Henry Harrison #1: Plantation to Medicine to Arms (1773-1795); Topics covered include: Family history of prominence, studies medicine, enlists in the army, Battle of Fallen Timbers, Treaty of Greenville, marries Anna Symmes, purchases land at North Bend, and named commander at Fort Washington Key people: Benjamin Harrison, Andrew Leiper, Richard Henry Lee, Arthur St. Clair, George Washingt...

Martin Van Buren #10: Free Soil Finish (1844-1862); Topics covered include: Election of 1844, at odds with James Polk administration over patronage and Mexican War, Sub-Treasury, slavery, Barnburners and Hunkers, Barnburner Manifesto, Free Soil Party, Election of 1848 (nominated for President), trip to Europe, Civil War, views on secession, and his death Key people: Silas Wright, James Polk, Willi...

Martin Van Buren #9: No Second Chance (1840-1844); Topics covered include: 1840 election (Log Cabin and Hard Cider campaign), mischaracterized and maligned, loses re-election, takes Southern trip, Election of 1844, Hammett Letter (opposing Texas annexation), and loses Democratic nomination Key people: Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Charles Ogle, William Hammett, an...

Martin Van Buren #8: Presidential Travails (1837-1841); Topics covered include: President of the United States, Cabinet and staff, economic recession and response, Sub-Treasury, potential for Texas annexation, trip home to New York, purchases new home (Lindenwald), and continues Andrew Jackson's economic policies as well as implementation of the Indian Removal Act ("Trail of Tears")...

Martin Van Buren #7: #2 to #1 (1832-1836); Topics covered include: Elected Vice President (1832), strong supporter of the policies of Andrew Jackson, serves as close adviser, Jackson hand picks as successor, 1840 election, makes statement about slavery, the American System, and wins the presidency Key people: Andrew Jackson, Richard Johnson, Henry Clay, William Henry Harrison, Hugh White, Daniel W...

Martin Van Buren #6: The Great Magician (1831-1832); Topics covered include: Secretary of State, Peggy Eaton Affair, entire Cabinet resigns (including Van Buren), recess appointment as the Minister to Great Britain, formal nomination denied, and receives nomination for Vice President in the 1832 election Key people: Andrew Jackson, Peggy Eaton, John Eaton, Mordecai Noah, Washington Irving, and Joh...

Martin Van Buren #5: Secretary of State (1829-1831); Topics covered include: Secretary of State, patronage, Kitchen Cabinet, executes treaty with Great Britain, social scene in Washington, Peggy Eaton Affair, and the Jefferson Day Dinner toasts in the midst of the nullification debate over the Tariff of Abominations Key people: Andrew Jackson, James Hamilton, William Marcy, John Eaton, Peggy Eaton...

Martin Van Buren #4: Re-emergence (1825-1829); Topics covered include: Serves as U.S. Senator, opposed to most policies of the John Quincy Adams administration, Election of 1828, supports Andrew Jackson, takes southern tour, advises Jackson, elected Governor of New York, and nominated/confirmed as Secretary of State Key people: John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and Andrew Jackson For more information...

Martin Van Buren #3: Washington and Albany (1821-1825); Topics covered include: U.S. Senator, Albany Regency, "non-commitalism," popularity, ongoing clashes with DeWitt Clinton, 1824 Election (backs William Crawford), "Corrupt Bargain," and his defeats at both the state and national levels Key people: Solomon Van Rensselaar, James Monroe, DeWitt Clinton, John Calhoun, William C...

Martin Van Buren #2: Rough and Tumble New York Politics (1815-1821); Topics covered include: Leader in the New York state legislature, Attorney General of New York, move to Albany, Jeffersonian ideology, against debtor's prisons, supports the Erie Canal, master Council of Appointment, death of parents, death of wife (Hannah), losing position as Attorney General, wins seat U.S. Senate, and serv...

Martin Van Buren #1: The Man from Kinderhook (1782-1812); Topics covered include: Parents, youth, Dutch (native language), legal studies, physical appearance, personality, success as a lawyer, political ideology (Jeffersonian), New York state politics and the leading families, marriage to Hannah Hoes, alignment with DeWitt Clinton, subsequent split with DeWitt Clinton, and his election to the stat...

Andrew Jackson #10: Retirement and Legacy (1837-1845); Topics covered include: Health and will power; censure expunged; Presidencies of Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and James Polk; The Hermitage, death of Jackson, and legacy and perspective Key people: Thomas Benton, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James Polk, and Henry Clay For more information on th...