We're now at day 8 of my daily threads of American Presidents in honor of the USA's 250thToday is Martin Van Buren (12/5/1782 - 7/24/1862), who served as president from 1837 to 1840. He was a very close ally to Andrew Jackson and one of the co-founders of the Democrat party.Notable actions or events during his presidency include the Panic of 1837, the 2nd Seminole War, his refusal to admit Texas as a slave state, the Cherokee Removal, border disputes with Canada, and United States v. Amistad.What do you think of our only ESL president?
>>18498061literally the most nothing burger president ever. He was from a long line of New Amsterdam (New York) Dutch settlers and was the only president to have english as his second language. His nickname was "Little Van"
A clever politician as a Senator, but not equipped to deal with the severe economic crash that Jackson caused.
>the Whigs thought that they could run four candidates and prevent Van Buren from getting a majority of electoral votesDumbest election strategy ever.
>>18498240I think they assumed they could repeat the 1824 election, but also they must have thought Van Buren as a New Yorker wouldn't appeal to the South as much as Jackson did. Still, the split candidates strategy was dumb.
>>18498251>Still, the split candidates strategy was dumbthe Whigs were nothing but people who disliked Jackson for whatever reason and had no coherent platform, they didn't have any national party organization like the Democrats did, just regional Whig parties who all ran their own candidate. Hugh White was a Jacksonian Democrat who felt that he was owed the Democrat nomination and resented the fact that it was gift-wrapped to Van Buren. Mangum was a protest candidate run by South Carolina. It was expected that Webster or Harrison would drop out and leave the race to the other guy, but the two saw each other as rivals, not allies.
>>18498061Van Buren continued Jackson's Indian removal policies, he was a genocider and war criminal.
>>18498264Van Buren was in fact a key player in building the Democrat Party's national machine due to his excellent political skills.
The Independent Treasury Act was Van Buren's one notable legislative accomplishment as president.
>The Panic of 1837 struck the nation like an earthquake a few months into Van Buren's administration. Long lines of unemployed men and soup kitchens dominated the Northeastern cities, but the laisse-faire mentality of the day limited the government's ability to relieve the suffering of the masses. The panic was caused by the same rampant speculation that triggered most economic downturns in the 19th century, and the Little Magician couldn't pull enough rabbits from his silk top hat to save the day.
>>18498061Van Buren was definitely the worst president up to that point.>did almost nothing notable despite serving a full four year term, and during an economic crash no less>his initial win and reelection defeat are both easily understandable>he felt elitist during the era of Jacksonian democracy, which didn't help>not as bad as Pierce or Buchanan, but his presidency had really nothing notable to show for it>the best thing about him was that he didn't do anything to aggravate slavery tensions
>>18498269numerous American president were responsible for genocide. Van Buren was no worse than several 20th century presidents in that regard.
>>18498318Van Buren allowed people to kill Mormons simply for their beliefs. He let it happen because he thought it would harm his reelection chances otherwise.
>>18498320yeah and Truman use atomic bomb on civilians, Nixon order illegal invasion of Cambodia, Reagan enabled war crime in Central America, and of course all 21st century presidents actions. You’re act like US is some holy respecter of rights and freedoms inside of genocidal regime that kills millions
>>18498314John Tyler was a saint and S tier president compared to that mutton chopped midget. Van Buren gets ranked way too high and Tyler gets ranked way too low, not because of his presidency but because he sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War.Van Buren should be ranked way lower and Tyler and others much higher.
>>18498061He took no relief action during the economic panic and even cut government spending as an economy measure.
>>18498314>the best thing about him was that he didn't do anything to aggravate slavery tensionsVan Buren wasn’t as anti-slavery as you think. He even owned a slave himself named Tom. Tom ran away to Massachusetts and was found 10 years later by an acquaintance of MVB's, who offered to buy the slave for $50. MVB agreed to the deal only if he guaranteed that he wouldn’t harm Tom, which the buyer said he could not promise and so the matter was dropped.
He doesn’t get enough hate. Whenever I see top 10 worst presidents IDK why he’s never there. His presidency was an unmitigated disaster.
>>18498340Van Buren, Buchanan, and Cleveland were all proof that looneytoonarian policies during an economic depression don't work.
>>18498270he thought that professionally organized political parties were necessary as the masses were not particularly well-informed on issues
Being upset that MVB continued the Trail of Tears and took no action to relieve the 1837 panic is a little unfair as it was a different time. White Americans did not view Indians as their equals or even human at all, and the idea of government intervention in a depression was not a thing until the New Deal a hundred years later.
>>18498346You left out the part he never bothered trying to recapture him in those 10 years, and that he would only take Tom back if Tom agreed peacefully to return to being his slaveHowever politically, he was pro slavery so he wouldn't hurt his chances of election despite personally being opposed. AKA he knew it was wrong but for politics ignored it
>>18498387t. LBJfag
>>18497660>>18498061Martin Van Buren, number eightFor a one-term shot as chief of state
>>18498287Every major economic crash in US history was a speculation bubble that burst. What it does prove is that a large portion of the US economy has always been based around pyramid schemes and scams that eventually blow up.
>>18498251Incidentally, Jackson being off the ticket ruined the Democrats’ appeal in the West.>>18498346“Not doing anything to aggravate tensions” means more avoiding the issue than being anti-slavery. He didn’t start taking a stance until the issue of Texas annexation came up, which cost him the nomination in 1844, and then his Albany Regency split over Polk Administration patronage and he decided to run a joint ticket with John Quincy Adams’ son Charles.
