Martin Van Buren

C

3

Jackson Supporter

Although Adams won the presidency, Van Buren had already gauged the rising popularity of Andrew Jackson and had decided that the future belonged to those who rode with “Old Hickory,” as Jackson was called. Moreover, Adams's political philosophy differed from Van Buren's. The new president was committed to a strong national government and Henry Clay's American System, which called for a high protective tariff, federally financed internal improvements, and a strong central bank.

For the duration of Adams's administration, Van Buren worked in and out of Congress to block executive action and to win the presidency for Jackson in 1828. To achieve these ends, he united several Democratic-Republican factions in various states into a new political party that reasserted the principles of the third U.S. president, Thomas Jefferson. Van Buren said he hoped his actions would bring about a new political combination that would effect the substantial reorganization of the old party. He continued: “Political combinations between the inhabitants of the different states are unavoidable and the most natural and beneficial to the country is that between the planters of the South and the plain Republicans of the North.” This new political combination nominated Jackson for the presidency and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina for the vice presidency in 1828. These followers of Jackson, Calhoun, and Van Buren formed the political organization that became the Democratic Party.

D

Election of 1828

To help Jackson find electoral votes across the country, Van Buren maneuvered the Tariff of 1828, commonly called the Tariff of Abominations, through Congress. His strategy was to appeal to voters of the middle and Western states by promising high protective duties on imports of raw materials. This angered Southerners, who depended on those imports. They retaliated by plotting to raise the duties on manufactured goods, on which New England businessmen depended. The result they expected was that even the supporters of protection would vote against the bill and defeat it. Although this plan misfired and the tariff bill was voted into law, the result did not hurt Jackson. The South believed that only through the election of Jackson and Calhoun would the tariff be repealed.

E

Governor of New York

To assist Jackson in securing New York's 36 electoral votes, Van Buren agreed to run for governor of the state in 1828. The race was a three-way contest. The Anti-Masonic Party nominated a journalist, Solomon Southwick. The badly divided National Republicans chose a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Smith Thompson. Van Buren won, but he did not get a majority of the total vote.

---

---

In contrast, Jackson won the presidency by an overwhelming margin. This victory was in large measure due to the splendid organization of the Democratic Party. In appreciation for Van Buren's part in shaping this victory, Jackson invited him to become secretary of state. Although he had only been governor since the beginning of the year, Van Buren resigned on March 12, 1829, after the Senate confirmed the appointment.

Despite the fact that Van Buren's term as governor was short, he initiated a number of notable reforms while in office. The most significant of these reforms was the Safety Fund System, which required all incorporated banks to join an association and contribute to a fund that would insure depositors from loss through the failure of any one bank. The system was supervised by a three-man commission that visited each bank periodically and inspected its affairs. Within a few years the fund had more than $30 million and provided a safe banking system for the people of New York. Van Buren's Safety Fund System was one of the wisest and most important banking innovations of the 19th century.

F

Secretary of State

Van Buren had resigned as governor because he knew that the office of secretary of state was usually the fastest road to the presidency. Not unexpectedly, his presence in the Cabinet excited the jealousy of other ambitious men, most noticeably Vice President John C. Calhoun. Calhoun hoped to succeed Jackson after his expected two terms as president, and he resented the close working relations that quickly developed between Van Buren and Jackson. At first, Jackson had some doubts about his secretary of state because of his reputation as an unscrupulous politician, but he soon developed a profound regard for Van Buren's abilities and for his devotion and loyalty to the administration.

F

1

Maysville Veto

As secretary, Van Buren not only counseled the president on foreign and domestic policy and on politics, but assisted him in drafting state papers. One of the most important documents that Van Buren drafted was the president's veto of the Maysville Road Bill. The bill would have provided federal funds to build a highway from Maysville to Lexington, both in the state of Kentucky. Van Buren argued against the bill on constitutional grounds, insisting that the road was of concern only to Kentucky. He went on to challenge a basic premise of Clay's American System: that a state's internal improvements were a federal concern. The effect of the Maysville veto was the transfer of the building of roads and canals to the states, a policy that Van Buren, as a Jeffersonian, had long advocated.

	More from Encarta
	•  7 tips for funding an online degree •  How to succeed in the fashion industry without being a top designer •  Presidential Myths Quiz •  Coffee break: Recharge your brain