Who is the eighth president of united states

His progress was cut short when the Senate rejected his nomination in January of While serving as chief executive, Van Buren proceeded cautiously regarding two major foreign policy crises. He worked to diffuse a potential breach with Great Britain when Maine farmers attacked across the northern border and when Canadians burned the U. Van Buren was also wary of worsening U. He declined to support the U. Published: Lithograph, Martin Van Buren. Eighth President of the United States Published: Ask Us: Live Chat.

Online Picture. In , Jackson, with Van Buren as his Vice President, won re-election in a landside, chiefly due to Jackson's popularity as a war hero.

Van Buren won election to the presidency in despite lukewarm support in the South due to suspicions regarding his position on the issue of slavery. Van Buren's stated intention to "follow in the footsteps of my illustrious predecessor" was eclipsed by the Panic of and ensuing depression, with high unemployment and wide-spread bank failures. Bereft of tools to combat the depression, Van Buren failed in his re-election bid, losing to the popular William Henry Harrison.

Thousands lost their lands. For about five years the United States was wracked by the worst depression thus far in its history. Programs applied decades later to alleviate economic crisis eluded both Van Buren and his opponents. Declaring that the panic was due to recklessness in business and overexpansion of credit, Van Buren devoted himself to maintaining the solvency of the national Government. He opposed not only the creation of a new Bank of the United States but also the placing of Government funds in state banks.

He fought for the establishment of an independent treasury system to handle Government transactions. As for Federal aid to internal improvements, he cut off expenditures so completely that the Government even sold the tools it had used on public works.

Inclined more and more to oppose the expansion of slavery, Van Buren blocked the annexation of Texas because it assuredly would add to slave territory—and it might bring war with Mexico. Defeated by the Whigs in for reelection, he was an unsuccessful candidate for President on the Free Soil ticket in He died in The Presidential biographies on WhiteHouse.