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The Presidencies of
Martin Van Buren,
William Henry Harrison,
John Tyler and
James K. Polk
OBJECTIVE(S):
• Identify the issues the United
States wrestled with as it spread
westward
• Describe the events that led to
the American Civil War
• Speculate on if/how the Civil
War may have been avoided
Martin Van Buren
Democrat—New York
1837-1841
Democrat Andrew Jackson was
succeeded by his Vice President,
Martin Van Buren. Van Buren,
from New York, was a key
organizer of the Jacksonian
Democrats, but despite his
accomplishments before ascending
to the presidency, his single term in
the White House was a failure.
As Jackson's heir, Van Buren
followed his policies toward Native
Americans. The Indian Removal
Act was passed by Congress at
Jackson’s urging in 1830. Jackson
then ordered the United States
Army to forcibly relocate Native
American tribes to make way for
white settlement of their land.
The forced movement was called the
Trail of Tears. Along the way, many
died of starvation, disease and
exposure, forcibly removing the
Cherokee and other tribes from the
South to the Oklahoma Territory. The
execution of Jackson’s original order
actually happened during Van Buren’s
term.
Van Buren’s administration was
saddled with severe economic
problems in no small way caused by
Jackson’s decisions. Jackson decided
to kill the national bank (the Bank of
the United States—created by George
Washington's Secretary of the
Treasury, Alexander Hamilton) in
1836.
The elimination of the bank
caused a credit crisis.
Consequently, the United
States economy had two
major financial crises during
Van Buren’s presidency.
The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis
that began a major economic
recession. A recession is when the
economy stops growing and
businesses struggle. Key features of a
recession are unemployment, huge
decreases in profits, rises in prices,
decreases in wages and a decline in
consumer confidence.
The economy appeared to be picking
up in 1838, but then the Panic of 1839
hit and it was even worse. Due to
over-inflated cotton prices, a natural,
economic correction caused the price
of cotton to plummet, creating long
lasting economic problems. Again,
unemployment and lowered wages
dramatically cut consumer spending,
causing a downward spiral.
People blamed the
current President and
Van Buren was
lampooned as “Martin
Van Ruin.”
The severe economic problems
ruined his chances of reelection. The new Whig party
that grew out of opposition to
Andrew Jackson, successful
defeated him with their
candidate, William Henry
Harrison.
The American public turned to
the new political party on the
scene (the Whigs). In addition
to opposing the policies of
Jacksonian Democrats,
believed that Congress, not the
President, should lead national
policy.
They also believed in economic
protectionism, meaning that they
believed in tariffs to protect
American businesses from foreign
competition. Most Whigs were
from the northern states, while the
majority of Democrats were from
the South.
The two parties showed
how the country was
divided, an ideal called
sectionalism by
historians.
The North was more populous
and had an economy based on
trade and manufacturing. The
South had an economy based
upon cotton, produced by large
plantations using slave labor.
The interests of
the two regions
were on a collision
course.
William Henry Harrison
Whig—Ohio
31 days in 1841
Whig William Henry Harrison defeated
Martin Van Buren in the Election of 1840
with ease. A national hero for leading
troops in the War of 1812 and against
Native Americans, Harrison was the oldest
person elected President until Ronald
Reagan in 1980. But his presidency would
prove to be the shortest in American
history.
Harrison, in an attempt to prove his
intelligence, gave the longest
inauguration speech in history. The
famous story is that he delivered this
speech on a cold an wet March day,
not wearing a hat or overcoat. By the
end of the month, Harrison had
developed a severe cold that quickly
turned to pneumonia. He became the
first president to die in office.
Harrison's death lead to a Constitutional crisis.
The document was unclear on how
Presidential succession worked. The
Constitution states that "In case of the removal
of the President from office, or of his death,
resignation, or inability to discharge the
powers and duties of the said office, the same
shall devolve on the Vice President, ...and [the
Vice President] shall act accordingly, until the
disability be removed, or a President shall be
elected."
The debate was whether the Vice
President carried out the rest of the
term or if they only held office until a
new election could be held to select a
new President. It was decided that
Harrison's Vice President, John Tyler,
would serve the remainder of the
term and not be merely an "acting
President," but fully assume the
office.
Complications arose when Tyler, who
was formerly a Jacksonian Democrat
and switched the Whig Party, decided
that he wasn't going to try to do what
Harrison had outlined in his inaugural
address.
John Tyler
Whig (but not really)—Virginia
1841-1845
John Tyler came to be referred
to as "His Accidency" because
he gained the Presidency after
the death of William Henry
Harrison. The irony of the
nickname came from the fact
that it was what members of
his own political party used to
ridicule him.
Tyler had run on the Whig
ticket with Harrison. The Whig
Party rose up as opposition to
Andrew Jackson and the
Jacksonian Democrats. They
believed in everything the
opposite of Jackson.
They believed in the Bank of
the United States and high
tariffs to protect American
businesses. And, most
importantly, they believed that
Congress, not the President,
should be at the forefront of
American politics.
Harrison believed firmly in this and
stated in his famed inaugural address
how he would take a backseat to
Congress. But his untimely death
thrust Tyler into office. Of course, this
was not without controversy. The
Constitution was unclear on exactly
what happened in the event of a
President vacating the office.
People weren't sure if the Vice
President became an acting President
until an new election could be held or
if they actually assumed the office for
the remainder of the term. It was
decided, in an important precedent
that would later be cemented with a
Constitutional Amendment, that the
Vice President became the President
for the rest of the term.
When Tyler took over
only some thirty days
into Harrison's term, he
quickly showed that he
was not going to follow
Harrison's agenda.
He stood in the way of the
Whigs policies, exercising his
veto powers over several acts
of Congress. The party became
so upset with Tyler, that they
expelled him from their party,
ruining his chances for reelection.
The main
accomplishment of
Tyler's administration
came after a new
President had been
selected: the annexation
of Texas.
Texas was part of the Mexican
Empire. Mexico, eager to settle
the land so no one else could make
claim to it, invited American
settlers to move into their
territory. They didn't expect so
many to come and soon American
settlers outnumbered Mexicans
ten to one. And they began
pushing for independence.
The Texans declared themselves free
and Mexican forces tried to squash
the independence movement--such as
the famous Battle of the Alamo--but
at a key battle the Texans defeated the
Mexicans and became their own
country called the Republic of Texas.
Almost immediately, they appealed to
be added to the United States during
Martin Van Buren's Presidency, but
the President didn't support it.
Tyler had supported the
annexation of the Republic
of Texas and even
negotiated a treaty with the
Republic for its addition to
the United States, but the
Senate would not approve
it.
But as Tyler was about to leave
office, public opinion had shifted
and Tyler pushed through a jointresolution from Congress paving
the way for admitting the territory
in to the United States. It would
later officially become a state
under James K. Polk's Presidency.
James K. Polk
Democrat—Tenessee
1845-1849
After Tyler finished Harrison's term,
no one would run him in the Election
of 1844. The Whigs had expelled him
from the party and the Democrats
weren't sure they could trust him.
The Whigs ran Henry Clay, probably
the most prominent politician to be so
close to being the president, but never
getting the job. The Democrats ran
James K. Polk.
Polk was a
Jacksonian
Democrat. In fact,
he was more Jackson
than Jackson.
Polk and the Democratic
party ran on a four-point
platform. They promised to
lower tariffs and also fix the
financial problems that
plagued the country since
Jackson killed the national
bank in 1836.
And, as a firm believer in Manifest
Destiny, Polk and the Democrats sought to
extend America's control over the rest of
the continent. They wanted to annex
Texas (though it happened after Polk won
the election, but before he took office),
who asked to become a state but was
rejected. The Democrats also wanted to
settle the issues with Great Britain over
Oregon and also promised to gain
California for the United States.
Polk won the close election, Clay just
falling short for a third time. The
Democrats passed a lower tariff in 1846.
Then they passed a law restoring the
Independent Treasury System, which was
how the government managed their
revenue instead of depositing it in private
banks. A form of this system existed after
Jackson killed the national bank, but the
Whigs got rid of it when they attempted
to charter and new national bank.
Polk signed the bill into law in 1846. Since
Tyler vetoed the Whig's attempts to
reestablish the national bank (twice), the
Independent Treasury System was
essential in creating financial stability.
Polk and the Democrats also set to work
on realizing Manifest Destiny. The Oregon
Country was jointly occupied by the
United States and Great Britain since a
treaty signed in 1818. Polk wanted to get
control of the territory for the United
States. Polk offered to split it, dividing it
at the 49th Parallel. The British refused.
Polk and the Democrats threatened war,
demanding the whole territory.
While this was going on, a border conflict
with Mexico threatened to bring a
different war. Texas was annexed just
before Polk took office. But the Texans,
who had been a independent country
carved out of Mexico, had a pre-existing
border dispute with the Mexicans. The
Texans always cited the Rio Grande River
as the border; the Mexicans claimed the
Nueces River, further east.
Mexicans were also fearful of America's
interest in their land in present-day
California. Polk sent a representative to
Mexico City to offer to buy the disputed
land in Texas to the Rio Grande and
California for $30 million. But Mexico
refused. Polk then order American forces
into the disputed territory between the
rivers, claiming the land for the United
States. The Mexicans attacked and the
war began in 1846.
Mexico had suffered from instability since
winning its independence from Spain.
They were not in a good position to take
on the United States. Outmatched, the
Americans won and the Mexicans were
forced to give up it's northern land
holding. This territory was added to the
United States in what is called the
Mexican Cession. It included what would
later become New Mexico, Arizona, Utah,
Nevada and California.
Mexico had suffered from instability since
winning its independence from Spain.
They were not in a good position to take
on the United States. Outmatched, the
Americans won and the Mexicans were
forced to give up it's northern land
holding. This territory was added to the
United States in what is called the
Mexican Cession. It included what would
later become New Mexico, Arizona, Utah,
Nevada and California.
During the war with Mexico, the United
States was forced to back off the threats
of war with Britain over Oregon. Polk
negotiated a settlement with the British,
dividing the Oregon Country at the 49th
Parallel.
The addition of the lands of the Oregon
Treaty and the Mexican Cession further
fueled Manifest Destiny--America's desire
to push west. But it also added fuel to the
slavery fire. As new territories were
organized and applied for statehood,
fierce debate to keep the delicate balance
between free and slave states in Congress
only intensified.
Having met his policy goals, Polk made
good on his promise and did not seek reelection. His legacy included the
fulfillment of Manifest Destiny, but that
also brought with it problems. But Polk
wasn't around to see it. He died of
cholera three months after leaving office.
OBJECTIVE(S):
• Identify the issues the United
States wrestled with as it spread
westward
• Describe the events that led to
the American Civil War
• Speculate on if/how the Civil