Future US President Martin Van Buren appearedto light in 1782. He was born in the village of Kinderhuk. It was a Dutch town near New York. Father Martin 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.
In 1821, Van Buren was elected to the Senate.He ran from the Democratic Republican Party in New York. The basis of his political program was the criticism of high taxes and the proposal to give the states lands that belonged to the entire state.
Martin Van Buren was Andrew's companionJackson. When in 1829 he became president of the United States, he made the senator secretary of state. Buren had many conflicts with his colleagues. Because of this, two years later Jackson appointed him ambassador in London. Soon the politician returned to his homeland (this was demanded in the Senate). In 1832, Martin Van Buren again turned out to be a candidate for vice-presidents under Andrew Jackson. Democrats won the election. After this, Van Buren was the second person in the state for another four years.
In 1836, Van Buren himself ran forPresidents and, having defeated three opponents, became Jackson's successor. In office in the Oval Office he joined in March 1837. Van Buren retained in key public positions almost all the people that worked under his predecessor.
New-old authorities had to cope withconsequences of the Panic of 1837 - such an unofficial name was given to the then unfolding economic crisis in the United States. The problems reached their peak when, after five years of recession, several banks went bankrupt, and the unemployment rate reached record levels.
As President, Martin Van Buren diligentlydefended low tariffs and free trade. He focused on the problems of the American South, whose support was decisive for maintaining the power of the democratic party. The head of state managed to create a system of bonds, the purpose of which was to regulate the national debt.
Despite the efforts of Van Buren, histhe democratic party was in crisis. In it, a split occurred, caused by a divergence in views on ways to combat economic problems. The direct consequence of this internal conflict was the failure of the president's attempt to realize the idea of the "Independent Treasury." According to Van Buren, it was needed by the country in order to separate state finances from unsustainable banks. In 1840, the split democratic party rejected the bill, which was a fatal political defeat of the owner of the White House.
While Van Buren worked in the Senate, he is activevoted for anti-slavery initiatives (for example, for the fact that Missouri was 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" (advocating the complete abolition of slavery).
Despite the previous sequence, becominghead of state, Van Buren somewhat changed his position. As president, he believed that slavery is not only sanctioned by the Constitution, but also inherently right. Already in retirement, he again criticized the bonded position of the black population. Since Van Buren himself was actually a Dutchman, he learned from childhood to communicate with representatives of different ethnic and social groups. That is why, in many respects, he 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, there was a famous uprising of slaves on the ship "Amistad" (this event is dedicated to the eponymous film of Steven Spielberg).
In 1840, Van Buren again became a candidate fordemocratic party in the new elections. At the same time, the society continued to blame the president for the difficult situation in the economy and the inability to rectify this situation. Already, preliminary elections in municipalities have shown that the popularity of Democrats has fallen sharply. Nevertheless, Martin Van Buren, whose biography seemed most 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 wasGeneral William Harrison, who represented the Whigs. Van Buren was defeated. Saying goodbye to the White House, he said with relief that in his life there were two happiest days: the day when he entered the Oval Office, and the day he left it.
It is curious that the First Lady of the USA in 1837-1841.was not the spouse of the first person, but his sister-in-law. Martin Van Buren, whose family survived the tragedy, back in 1819 became a widower after the death of his wife Hannah. The president had 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.
After the loss of power, Van Buren undertookseveral 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 Civil War broke out in the US, Van Burenpublicly declared his loyalty to the Union (that is, the North States). He also became an associate of Lincoln, who tried to stop the split with the South. In 1861, the health of Van Buren began to deteriorate. In the autumn he fell ill with pneumonia. July 24, 1862, the politician died of asthma at the age of 79 years. The eighth US president was buried in his native Kinderhuk (there were buried all his closest relatives).
It is curious that in history it remained famous yetone Martin Van Buren Bates. He was a phenomenal giant (with a height of 241 centimeters), who lived in the XIX century and became popular due to tours around the world. To confuse him with the president, however, is mistaken.
