Eighth U.S. President Martin Van Buren

Van Buren's success as a local politician was demonstrated by his two successive elections to the New York Senate (1812-20), during which time he was appointed state attorney general. He was an extremely skilled politician and he would eventually be credited with being one of the founders of the Democratic Party. In fact, in recognition of his cunning and skill as a politician, his friends called him "Little Magician" but his enemies referred to him as "Sly Fox" (Britannica.com). Van Buren also developed a reputation for "non-committalism," and there exist many stories of his propensity for evasion and double-talk (Encyclopedia Americana). Still, many who have studied his life and political career conclude that Va

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7, less than 25 years before the start of the Civil War. Consequently, the issue of the treatment of slavery within the states was becoming increasingly significant for any politician's success. Van Buren's treatment of the issue demonstrates his prowess for politics, but it also demonstrates the seeming inevitability of the Civil War. Van Buren's actions and political history before he ascended to the national stage imply that his personal beliefs tended toward an anti-slavery bent, which would not have been unusual given that he was from New York in the North. However, as a politician with national aspirations, he recognized that he could not enjoy national success without the support of the slave-holding states in the South. Consequently, Van Buren's slavery policy demonstrated an internal inconsistency that reflects the history of the United States' treatment of racial issues. Moreover, given that southern states would begin seceding from the Union in the 1860s due to economic issues surrounding slavery, Van Buren's decision to couch what may have been his true feelings appears to have been a shrewd political decision. The situation in the United States in 1836 concerning slavery required that national politicians compr
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