Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren
Author: Edward L. Widmer
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2005-01-05
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0805069224

The first president born after America's independence ushers in a new era of no-holds-barred democracy The first "professional politician" to become president, the slick and dandyish Martin Van Buren was to all appearances the opposite of his predecessor, the rugged general and Democratic champion Andrew Jackson. Van Buren, a native Dutch speaker, was America's first ethnic president as well as the first New Yorker to hold the office, at a time when Manhattan was bursting with new arrivals. A sharp and adroit political operator, he established himself as a powerhouse in New York, becoming a U.S. senator, secretary of state, and vice president under Jackson, whose election he managed. His ascendancy to the Oval Office was virtually a foregone conclusion. Once he had the reins of power, however, Van Buren found the road quite a bit rougher. His attempts to find a middle ground on the most pressing issues of his day-such as the growing regional conflict over slavery-eroded his effectiveness. But it was his inability to prevent the great banking panic of 1837, and the ensuing depression, that all but ensured his fall from grace and made him the third president to be denied a second term. His many years of outfoxing his opponents finally caught up with him. Ted Widmer, a veteran of the Clinton White House, vividly brings to life the chaos and contention that plagued Van Buren's presidency-and ultimately offered an early lesson in the power of democracy.

Martin Van Buren and the Emergence of American Popular Politics

Martin Van Buren and the Emergence of American Popular Politics
Author: Joel H. Silbey
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2002
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780742522442

Chronicles the life of Martin Van Buren, focusing on his role in the development and transformation of American politics in the early part of the nineteenth century.

Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren
Author: John Niven
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2000-06
Genre: Presidents
ISBN: 9780945707257

They called him "the Magician," "the Red Fox" and other names that celebrated his political skill. And, indeed, there is no doubt that Martin Van Buren was the most innovative politician of his age. In the first modern biography of the eighth President, John Niven reveals a man who was preeminently a statesman - not just a superb practitioner of the art of the possible, as he is commonly depicted. First prominent in New York politics, Van Buren served as Andrew Jackson's Secretary of State and later as his vice president. The balance wheel of the administration, he was Jackson's most influential adviser. His own presidency (1837-1841) was beset by the worst depression the United States had yet faced, but, as Niven shows, Van Buren met the crisis with courage. His corrective measures incensed the financial community but save the public credit. Defeated in the 1840 election, he was denied the Democratic nomination in 1844, for opposing on moral grounds, the immediate annexation of Texas. In 1848, as the presidential candidate for the anti-slavery Free Soil Party, he again lent his name to an unpopular cause he felt was right. Charming, witty, enigmatic, Van Buren could hold his own with the other key political figures of his day: Jackson, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun, John Quincy Adams. Correcting many false images of Van Buren (including the view that he was a compromiser on the slavery issue), this authoritative biography unveils a brilliant career in American political life, set against the backdrop of a fascinating era. --Book jacket

Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren
Author: Steven Ferry
Publisher: Childs World Incorporated
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2008-01-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9781602530379

Presents the life, career, and accomplishments of the eighth president of the United States.

The Autobiography of Martin Van Buren

The Autobiography of Martin Van Buren
Author: John Clement Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Sagwan Press
Total Pages: 814
Release: 2018-02-03
Genre:
ISBN: 9781376558777

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren
Author: BreAnn Rumsch
Publisher: ABDO
Total Pages: 43
Release: 2024-07-30
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN:

This biography introduces readers to Martin Van Buren, including his early political career and key events from Van Buren's administration including the Panic of 1837 and the passage of the Independent Treasury Act. Information about his childhood, family, personal life, and retirement years is included. A timeline, fast facts, and sidebars provide additional information. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Big Buddy Books is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison
Author: Gail Collins
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2012-01-17
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0805091181

William Henry Harrison died just 31 days after taking the oath of office in 1841. Today he is a curiosity in American history, but as Collins shows in this entertaining and revelatory biography, he and his career are worth a closer look.

Polk

Polk
Author: Walter R. Borneman
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 466
Release: 2009-04-14
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 158836772X

In Polk, Walter R. Borneman gives us the first complete and authoritative biography of a president often overshadowed in image but seldom outdone in accomplishment. James K. Polk occupied the White House for only four years, from 1845 to 1849, but he plotted and attained a formidable agenda: He fought for and won tariff reductions, reestablished an independent Treasury, and, most notably, brought Texas into the Union, bluffed Great Britain out of the lion’s share of Oregon, and wrested California and much of the Southwest from Mexico. On reflection, these successes seem even more impressive, given the contentious political environment of the time. In this unprecedented, long-overdue warts-and-all look at Polk’s life and career, we have a portrait of an expansionist president and decisive statesman who redefined the country he led, and we are reminded anew of the true meaning of presidential accomplishment and resolve.

Recipes from the President's Ranch

Recipes from the President's Ranch
Author: Matthew Wendel
Publisher:
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2020-10
Genre: Cooking, American
ISBN: 9781931917933

"Chef Matthew Wendel provides a first-hand account of his years working for President George W. Bush and his family at Camp David and at their Texas home on Prairie Chapel Ranch. He offers a collection of recipes, photographs, stories, and memories of daily life as senior advance representative in the Office of Presidential Advance and as the personal chef and personal assistant to the president. Included with recipes of the author's signature hot cinnamon rolls and fried chicken are the Bush family's favorite dishes, meals that world leaders were served, and a behind-the-scenes look at how he prepared for head of state visits and shopped for the first family. Wendel's account reveals a unique window into the hard work, detail, and protocol involved in working for the first family and reveals how the president welcomed world leaders using both his home and the power of sharing a meal in an intimate setting as a bridge-building diplomatic tool. Smoked beef tenderloin, stacked enchiladas, hot rolls, soups, and plenty of fresh salads were staples for the Bushes, but cheeseburgers became a tradition for their luncheons with world leaders at Prairie Chapel Ranch. Providing wholesome, delicious, comforting food to guests was their way of saying "Welcome. We're glad you are here." -- Amazon.com.

James Monroe

James Monroe
Author: Gary Hart
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2005-10-05
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1466823054

The former senator and presidential candidate offers a provocative new assessment of the first "national security president" James Monroe is remembered today primarily for two things: for being the last of the "Virginia Dynasty"—following George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison—and for issuing the Monroe Doctrine, his statement of principles in 1823 that the western hemisphere was to be considered closed to European intervention. But Gary Hart sees Monroe as a president ahead of his time, whose priorities and accomplishments in establishing America's "national security" have a great deal in common with chief executives of our own time. Unlike his predecessors Jefferson and Madison, Monroe was at his core a military man. He joined the Continental Army at the age of seventeen and served with distinction in many pivotal battles. (He is prominently featured at Washington's side in the iconic painting Washington Crossing the Delaware.) And throughout his career as a senator, governor, ambassador, secretary of state, secretary of war, and president, he never lost sight of the fact that without secure borders and friendly relations with neighbors, the American people could never be truly safe in their independence. As president he embarked on an ambitious series of treaties, annexations, and military confrontations that would secure America's homeland against foreign attack for nearly two hundred years. Hart details the accomplishments and priorities of this forward-looking president, whose security concerns clearly echo those we face in our time. "A well-written, useful précis of Monroe’s life and career." - Kirkus Reviews