Future US President Martin Van Buren was born in 1782. He was born in the village of Kinderhook. It was a Dutch place not far from New York. Martin's father was a slave owner and owner of a tavern. Several of his “presidential records” are connected with the origin of Van Buren. For example, he was the only American head of state whose mother tongue was not English, but Dutch. Also, Martin Van Buren became the first president born in the new independent States.
Political career
In 1821, Van Buren was elected to the Senate. He ran for the Democratic Republican Party in New York. The basis of his political program was a criticism of high taxes and a proposal to give the states lands that belonged to the entire state.
Martin Van Buren was an associate of Andrew Jackson. When in 1829 he became President of the United States, he made the Senator Secretary of State. Buren had many conflicts with colleagues. Because of this, two years later, Jackson appointed him ambassador to London. Soon the politician returned to his homeland (this was demanded in the Senate). In 1832, Martin Van Buren was again a candidate for vice president under Andrew Jackson. Democrats won the election. After that, Van Buren was the second person in the state for another four years.
Presidential election
In 1836, Van Buren himself ran for president and, defeating three opponents, became Jackson's successor. He assumed office in the Oval Office in March 1837. Van Buren retained almost all the people who worked under his predecessor in key government positions.
The new and old authorities had to cope with the consequences of the Panic of 1837 - such an unofficial name was given to the economic crisis unfolding then in the USA. Problems reached their peak when, after five years of recession, several banks went bankrupt in the country, and unemployment reached record levels.
Problems and failures
As president, Martin Van Buren diligently defended low tariffs and free trade. He focused on the problems of the American South, whose support was decisive for maintaining the democratic party’s power. The head of state managed to create a bond system, the purpose of which was to regulate national debt.
Despite the efforts of Van Buren, his Democratic Party was in crisis. There was a split in it, caused by a divergence of views on ways to combat economic problems. The direct consequence of this internal conflict was the failure of the president’s attempt to implement the idea of an “Independent Treasury”. According to Van Buren, the country needed it in order to separate public finances from unstable banks. In 1840, a fragmented Democratic Party rejected the bill, which became a fatal political defeat for the owner of the White House.
The problem of slavery
While Van Buren worked in the Senate, he actively voted for anti-slavery initiatives (for example, to ensure that Missouri is not recognized as a slave state). All this gave the policy a certain reputation. In 1848, he could become a presidential candidate from the Free Land Party (which advocated the complete abolition of slavery).
Despite the previous sequence, becoming the head of state, Van Buren somewhat changed his position. As president, he believed that slavery was not only sanctioned by the Constitution, but inherently correct. Already retired, he again criticized the enslaving position of the black population. Since Van Buren himself was actually a Dutchman, from childhood he learned to communicate with representatives of different ethnic and social groups. That is why he largely achieved success at an early stage of his political career, when he reached the White House with his own charm. During the presidency of Van Buren, the famous slave uprising on the Amistad ship took place (the film of the same name by Steven Spielberg is dedicated to this event).
Harrison's victory
In 1840, Van Buren again became a Democratic candidate in the new election. At the same time, society continued to blame the president for the difficult situation in the economy and the inability to correct this situation. Already preliminary elections in municipalities have shown that the popularity of Democrats has fallen sharply. Nevertheless, Martin Van Buren, whose biography seemed acceptable to the majority of the party, remained a candidate for re-election to the White House.
The main opponent of the head of state was General William Harrison, who represented the Whigs. Van Buren was defeated. Saying goodbye to the White House, he was relieved to say that there were two happiest days in his life: the day he entered the Oval Office and the day he left it.
It is curious that the First Lady of the United States in 1837-1841. was not the wife of the first person, but his daughter-in-law. Martin Van Buren, whose family survived the tragedy, became a widower in 1819 after the death of his wife Hannah. The president has a son, Abraham. His wife Angelica (daughter-in-law of the head of state) became the First Lady. This was an exceptional case in American history.
Last years
After losing power, Van Buren made several more attempts to win the presidential election. They all failed. Although almost all opponents of slavery in the 1850s joined the new Republican Party, the former president did not do this and remained in the ranks of the Democrats. In 1852, he supported the nomination of Franklin Pierce, and in 1856, James Buchanan.
When the American Civil War broke out, Van Buren publicly announced his allegiance to the Union (i.e., the Northern States). He also became an ally of Lincoln, who was trying to stop the split with the South. In 1861, Van Buren's health began to deteriorate. In the fall, he fell ill with pneumonia. July 24, 1862, the politician died of asthma at the age of 79 years. The eighth president of the United States was buried in his native Kinderhook (all his closest relatives were buried there).
It is curious that in the history one more Martin Van Buren Bates remained famous. He was a phenomenal giant (with a growth of 241 centimeters), who lived in the 19th century and became popular thanks to tours around the world. Confusing him with the president, however, is a mistake.