[USA] - 8th President of the USA Martin Van Buren

 

Martin Van Buren	Birth: 5 December 1782
	Died: 24 July 1862
	Party: Democrat
	Presidency: 1837 ~ 1841
	Vice President: Richard M. Johnson
	Nickname: Little Magician

 

● The Trail of Tears

After the Indian Removal Act (Native American Removal Act) was approved by Andrew Jackson, from 1830 and 1850, the ‘five civilized clans’ forced away from their fertile lands.

Current days, this is considered an ethnic cleansing. The five clans were the Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and the Cherokee.

 

 

The Cherokee attempted to put this to court such which include the Cherokee Nation vs Georgia and Worcester vs Georgia cases. However, the Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokee Nation was not an independent nation and must abide by federal law.

During Martin Van Buren’s presidency between 1838 and 1839, the Cherokee were forced to leave Georgia along the ‘Trail of Tears’.

 

 

Under the command of general Winfield Scott, the approximately 15,000 Cherokee were forced to march to Oklahoma reservations.

Due to the brutal marching pace, lack of supplies and harsh conditions, nearly 1/4 of the people died along the ‘Trail of Tears’.

 

● Economic Crisis of 1837 / Panic of 1837 & Independent Treasury Act

After operations of the Second Bank of the United States were closed, Andrew Jackson set the ‘Specie Circulator’ which banned paper money interactions for land purchase and only allow specie which is precious metal such as gold or silver.

After federal deposits pulled out from the Second Bank of the United States, they were deposited in State banks. State banks have issued indiscreet loans which led to an excessive circulation of money.

 

 

This caused an inflation and a fall of the value of paper money. Still by these days, the currency followed the ‘gold standard’ which meant that paper money must be issued only per the proportionate amount of gold.

Andrew Jackson set the Specie Circulator to block the inflation, however this accelerated economic crisis.(However, this was to advent regardless of the law).

This was to prevent the inflation and prevent the value of paper money from falling due to the mass currency circulation that banks have caused by indiscreet loans.

Eventually, as banks ceased the conversion of paper money between specie(precious metals such as gold and silver) and stopped issuing loans, circulation of money went to a sudden stop and speculators were denied credit that would eventually lead to land price fall as well.

 

 

Due to the overall financial crisis, almost 1,000 banks were bankrupt, unemployment rate soared, and the whole country was in an economic panic.

Martin Van Buren proposed the Independent Treasury Act which would set a federal institution that would protect federal funds from indiscreet loans.

Despite the financial crisis, a handful of congressmen opposed to the act as they feared the Independent Treasury Act would withdraw federal deposits from states. Eventually, in 1840, congress approved the Independent Treasury Act.

 

 

● The Telegraph, Samuel Morse and the Morse Code

Samuel Morse has developed the first telegraph that allowed communication through an electric current flowing through a wire.

Samuel Morse later developed the Morse Code which converted patterns of short and long pulses to alphabets. Samuel Morse demonstrated the telegraph to the federal government by setting a telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington.

 

 

He set the equipment at the Supreme Court for the demonstration. Samuel Morse input the message ‘What hath God wrought!’ and received an immediate response.

Government officials were astonished by this demonstration and started the establishment of telegraph wire lines for governmental institutions.

 

 

● The Texas Question

After the Texas Independence, the congress acknowledges the independence o the ‘Texas Republic’.

However, Texas set war with the Mexican government as the Mexican government banned slavery and forced Texas either.

 

 

The Texas Republic applied for admission to the United States, however Martin Van Buren feared the admission of Texas would disrupt the balance between slave states and free states by the Missouri Compromise.

The admission of Texas would expand the territory of the United States regardless of the stance of Texas in terms of slavery that would help the expansion of the United States. This dilemma remained as the ‘Texas Question’.

 

 

● The Caroline Affair

Meanwhile in Canada, rebellions against the colonial control by Great Britain sparked.

Several attacks on Toronto failed and the rebellion forces retreated to the Navy Island which was located in the Niagara River that borders between Canada and the United States.

 

Rebellion in Lower Canada (The Patriots' War)

 

Americans have secretly supplied these rebels by the steamship Caroline. The British loyal Canadian militia arson the Caroline and tossed it over the Niagara Falls that killed one American and injuring several other.

The public and the congress demanded war on Great Britain, however Martin Van Buren insisted on neutrality with Great Britain.