The forgotten presidents : their untold constitutional legacy

cover image

Where to find it

Davis Library (6th floor)

Call Number
KF5051 .G47 2013
Status
Available
Call Number
KF5051 .G47 2013
Status
Available

Law Library — 2nd Floor Collection (2nd floor)

Call Number
KF5051 .G47 2013 c. 2
Status
Checked Out (Due 11/18/2016)

Law Library — Special Collections (1st floor)

Call Number
KF5051 .G47 2013
Status
In-Library Use Only

North Carolina Collection (Wilson Library)

Call Number
C378 UMg368.2
Status
In-Library Use Only
Item Note
Dustjacket.

Authors, etc.

Names:

Summary

Their names linger in memory mainly as punch lines, synonyms for obscurity: Millard Fillmore, Chester Arthur, Calvin Coolidge. They conjure up not the White House so much as a decaying middle school somewhere in New Jersey. But many forgotten presidents, writes Michael J. Gerhardt, were not weak or ineffective. They boldly fought battles over constitutional principles that resonate today.

Gerhardt, one of our leading legal experts, tells the story of The Forgotten Presidents. He surveys thirteen administrations in chronological order, from Martin Van Buren to Franklin Pierce to Jimmy Carter, distinguishing political failures from their constitutional impact. Again and again, he writes, they defied popular opinion to take strong stands. Martin Van Buren reacted to an economic depression by withdrawing federal funds from state banks in an attempt to establish the controversial independent treasury system. His objective was to shrink the federal role in the economy, but also to consolidate his power to act independently as president. Prosperity did not return, and he left office under the shadow of failure. Grover Cleveland radically changed his approach in his second (non-consecutive) term. Previously he had held back from interference with lawmakers; on his return to office, he aggressively used presidential power to bend Congress to his will. Now seen as an asterisk, Cleveland consolidated presidential authority over appointments, removals, vetoes, foreign affairs, legislation, and more. Jimmy Carter, too, proves surprisingly significant. In two debt-ceiling crises and battles over the Panama Canal treaty, affirmative action, and the First Amendment, he demonstrated how the presidency's inherent capacity for efficiency and energy gives it an advantage in battles with Congress, regardless of popularity. Gerhardt explains the many things these and ten other presidents have in common that explain why, in spite of any of their excesses, they have become forgotten chief executives.

Incisive, myth-shattering, and compellingly written, this book shows how even obscure presidents championed the White House's prerogatives and altered the way we interpret the Constitution.

Contents

  • Acknowledgments p. vii
  • Introduction p. xi
  • 1 Martin Van Buren p. 3
  • 2 William Henry Harrison p. 25
  • 3 John Tyler p. 37
  • 4 Zachary Taylor p. 67
  • 5 Millard Fillmore p. 81
  • 6 Franklin Pierce p. 95
  • 7 Chester Arthur p. 113
  • 8 Grover Cleveland p. 127
  • 9 Benjamin Harrison p. 141
  • 10 Grover Cleveland p. 155
  • 11 William Howard Taft p. 171
  • 12 Calvin Coolidge p. 131
  • 13 Jimmy Carter p. 217
  • Conclusion p. 241
  • Appendix p. 245
  • Bibliographical Essay p. 251
  • Notes p. 253
  • Index p. 301

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