The History Hour

Martin Van Buren The History Hour

Martin Van Buren is a founder of the Democratic Party. He established a political machine known as the Albany Regency. Van Buren was a president who actively supported slavery due to a promise made to the slave owners and politicians of the South. His support of slavery became most evident on his stance in the Amistad case, where he vowed to return the slaves to Spain and to the people who kidnapped them from their rightful land on the first place.

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Martin Van Buren was a president who believed in economic freedom, who managed to steer the country through two depressions and a dysregulated bank, with a low unemployment rate, almost no inflation, and without government spending, which is an extraordinary feat not matched by any other president in this country's history. If it weren't for his diplomatic sense, the United States would have entered a war with the Great Britain due to the Maine-New Brunswick border dispute. His negotiation with Canada was so successful that he managed to hinder to different potential conflicts without spilling any blood. He also called for the cessation of civil hostilities from Americans in the border and called the neutrality act.