A biography of John Tyler, tenth President of the United States, and a "...review [of] the general history of the country through an interval of nearly a hundred years...".

Throughout the history of the United States, only nine men were elevated to the White House by the death or failure of a sitting president, and their legacies are as mixed as their circumstances. This book evaluates the similarities and distinct differences of these men, their varying degrees of ambition and readiness, and how each handled their suddenly enormous duties. Some became presidential legends, while others are counted among the worst. Their shared stories shed light on America's political development during the last two centuries.

An historical survey of the impact of individual First Ladies' impact on America and the American woman. A selection of each woman's own writings is given along with a commentary on her influence, and a biography of her life, and the narrative covers all the presidents' wives from Martha Washington to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Historians have generally ranked John Tyler as one of the least successful chief executives, despite achievements such as the WebsterAshburton treaty, which heralded improved relations with Great Britain, and the annexation of Texas. Why did Tyler pursue what appears to have been a politically selfdestructive course with regard to both his first party, the Democrats, and his later political alliance, the Whigs? Monroe has set out to explain the beliefs that led to Tyler=s resigning his Senate seat and exercising politically suicidal presidential vetoes as well as examines the crises Tyler faced during his term in the House: the Panic of 1819, the financially tottering national bank, and the Missouri debate.