I.

Introduction

Martin Van Buren (1782-1862), eighth president of the United States (1837-1841) and the first president born after the United States won its independence. He was regarded by his contemporaries as such a wily and artful politician that they dubbed him the “Little Magician” and the “Red Fox of Kinderhook.” However, these unflattering nicknames could not obscure his statesmanlike qualities or his valuable contributions to the political development of the nation. He was a political broker, pragmatic in his approach to problems and constantly concerned about winning elections. Nevertheless, he was intellectually committed to Jeffersonian democracy, and as governor of New York and president of the United States he instituted a number of farsighted economic and political reforms. These included bank deposit insurance, the independent treasury system, and a limit on labor hours. He also played a major role in the creation of the Democratic Party.