We're a little late on our 8th president's birthday. I try and keep them as close to the day as possible, but the boys just weren't feeling it last Saturday, so we postponed a week. Which, maybe wasn't the best decision, because I've spent today doing about a million things AND doing a president's birthday. But, it all worked out. Our Christmas punch today was Christmas Movie night, so while I fill you in on all things Martin Van Buren, everyone around me is eating popcorn, drinking hot chocolate, and watching National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.
This morning we had owl mail, although some of us got to it sooner than others. Calib hasn't' been sleeping all that well, and one day this week I let him sleep as late as he wanted, which turned out to be 4:10 pm. We've slowly been weening him back, and today when he had to be up at 11:30, you'd think it was 5 am or something. But, he had a game today, so we had to get in all the timeline birthday stuff before 2:15.
Ok, so Martin Van Buren. He holds the distinction of being the first president born a United States citizen, instead of a British subject.
Born on December 5, 1782, Martin was named after his grandfather. His family lived in the isolated village of Kinderhook, NY where most of the resident's spoke Dutch as their first language, including Martin. He's the only president to speak English as a second language.
His father, Abraham, and mother, Maria, had 8 kids in all (she was married before and brought three kids with her). They owned a inn/tavern. (MVB is also the first president born in a bar!)
Which was a pretty popular stop off for politicians making the trip between Albany and New York City. Some notable tavern patrons: Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. Pre-duel, of course.
Apparently rumor had it Aaron Burr might even be Martin Van Buren's father (which apparently isn't a stretch, Aaron Burr was a womanizer for sure-- and they both had some serious receding hairlines). But, historians mostly say that it's likely not true. We'll let Maury be the judge of that, thank you.
Anyway, the Van Buren's weren't a rich family. In fact they lived in the dive bar/motel with another family- for a total of 15 people under one roof. Martin wore home spun clothes, and kept his hair messy, generally not caring about his looks. He went to a school house and was a good student, until he was 14.
Then he went off to read law with this guy Peter Silvester. At 17, he went to his first political rally, and he was hooked. MVB was sold. All he wanted was to be in politics.
But Silvester basically told him he had to dress the part if he wanted to be a politician. So, MVB ditched the homespun look, and got himself some fancy clothes. And thus begins his love affair for the finer things in life.
After six years with Silvester, MVB went off to work with Democratic-Republican/Possible father Aaron Burr. Then he passed the bar and became a lawyer. Because, that's what you do if you want to be in politics.
And then MVB marries blonde haired-blue eyed Hannah. We don't know much about her. But she grew up n Kinderhook as well, and likely spoke Dutch. A family friend described her as "a woman sweet in nature, but few intellectual gifts."
MVB subscribed to Thomas Jefferson type politics. (Yay states rights!) And for the next 12 years he climbed the political ladder,
He eventually became a State Senator...
...and the State Attorney General.
Meanwhile he and Hannah had six kids, four who survived passed the very dangerous times of infancy: Abraham, John, Matt, and Smith.
Unfortunately, Hannah didn't live to raise her boys. She died at the age of 35 of tuberculosis. Documentation doesn't really suggest MVB felt one way or another about the death of his wife. He never talked about her in speeches or memoirs, or even with his kids. (When John and his wife had a daughter, he wanted to name her after his mom and had to write his dad a letter to ask if her name was Anna or Hannah).
Despite his loss, MVB remained pretty career focused. While he was spending a lot of time in bars- it wasn't to drown his sorrows- it was to network. He was developing a useful skill for a politician- the ability to walk into a tavern and drink an enormous amount of alcohol without any sign of impairment.
And all that pub drinking and fancy clothes paid off- MVB was elected U.S. Senator for the state of New York. (James Monroe was president at the time).
America was just entering a period of time where the power really looked like it was coming from the people. MVB, however, took one look at that and thought "hey, I totally know how to cheat that."
MVB became known as the "Little Magician" for his ability to manipulate and mastermind elections. He even formed the Albany Regency, the very first political machine (buying elections with your power) called the Albany Regency, and he helped create the spoils system where everyone just hired their friends, and returned favors. (I've got links there if you need a refresher on any of those.)
While MVB was in the Senate, JQA won the very contentious election of 1824. MVB led the opposition to JQA's administration (as if JQA needed another reason to hate himself), and helped form a coalition of Jeffersonian Republicans that backed Andrew Jackson.
MVB's support of Andrew Jackson helped Jackson win the next time around, and the Democratic Party was born.
That same election, MVB was elected Governor of NY. But, that was really just an manipulation/power move/back up plan/way to gain more votes for Andrew Jackson. He only stayed in that position for like a minute (or two months).....
..until Andrew Jackson made MVB his Secretary of State.
Then there was the Petticoat Affair, in which John C. Calhoun's wife was spreading rumors about the Secretary of War's wife (Peggy Eaton) being a tramp, and all kinds of nonsense which just makes it sound like those people arguing about the most useless stuff on Facebook, so you unfriend them. Whatever, there's a scandal....
...and MVB tells Andrew Jackson the best way to handle it is to have the whole cabinet resign. (To get out anyone supporting/siding with John C. Calhoun)
Eventually, that along with the Nullification Crisis and a bunch of other disagreements, and John Calhoun eventually resigned (the first president to do so!), and ended up on Andrew Jackson's "I wish I had killed you" list.
Anyway, MVB was down but he wasn't out. Instead, he became part of the "unofficial" advisers of Andrew Jackson - called the Kitchen Cabinet. (Fun Fact: The restaurant at the Hermitage is called 'The Kitchen Cabinet' and they have a PB&J called the Van Buren.)
MVB ended up in a more official role, when Andrew Jackson made a recess appointment (you know, where Congress isn't in session, so a president appoints someone without them being approved by Congress- and when Congress comes back, they'll vote) and MVB ended up as the Minister to Great Britain.
MVB really loved Great Britain, He adored the parties, and the fanciness, and the royal lifestyle. His autobiography is just page upon page of name dropping from this time period. When he came back to America, he wanted to bring the royalty and respectability back with him.
And why exactly was he coming back to America? Well, because John C. Calhoun had convinced his buddies in Congress, who were now back in session NOT to approve MVB.
But, MVB got the last laugh- when in the next election, Andrew Jackson chose MVB as his running mate.
MVB and Andrew Jackson really couldn't have been more different. Andrew Jackson's White House saw cheese stuck to the carpet (remember the cheese wheel?) , china cracked, with keggers basically every night with anyone walking by.
MVB preferred elegant parties with fancy clothes. And while Andrew Jackson had some pretty strong beliefs, MVB didn't really have strong opinions.
He avoided controversial subjects, and when forced to answer questions he'd just dress it up in vague language and double talk, until nobody had any idea what he was talking about. Henry Clay (making his very last appearance in the toy timeline) tried his best to get a rise out of him, but it never worked. Oh, and weird but true fact: MVB ruled the Senate (as Vice President), with a loaded pistol in his pocket.
Andrew Jackson, not running again in 1836, hand picked MVB to be his successor. And with the political machine in his pocket (after all he created it), and a poorly organized Whig party running three different candidates (the only time in history a major party ran three candidates), Old Kinderhook, as he was called (thanks to his hometown), was elected.
Fun Fact: The phrase OK was popularized thanks to Old Kinderhook. (The abbreviation ok, meaning all is well had only just appeared in the 1830's during the fad for humorous abbreviations it stood for the phrase 'oll korrect' -- Van Buren's campaign picked up on it, and it's widespread use during the campaign is cited as the primary reason the word fell into general use and is used today).
On March 4, 1837, a 54 year old Martin Van Buren was inaugurated as our 8th president. (His lucky number: he was the 8th Vice President, the 8th elected governor of New York- and after his presidency he lived to see the election of 8 other presidents each from 8 different states. He also was the first in a consecutive string of 8 one-term presidents.)
MVB finally had what he wanted, the presidency. But, lets be clear, he didn't want to be a good president. He just wanted to be president, and enjoy himself while he did it. Gone were the days of the frat style Andrew Jackson parties. He spent tons of money redoing the White House, throwing elegant parties and being a Mr. Fancy Pants. Oh, and gone were the day's of jut anyone coming in the White House. MVB actually put policemen at the door to make sure no "improper" people came in.
There was only one issue MVB seemed passionate about: slavery. (Pro!) He said in his inaugural address "I must go into the presidency chair the inflexible and uncompromising opponent of every attempt on the part of Congress to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia. "
Congress wasn't thrilled with him either, which makes being president hard. Henry Clay wasn't a fan,
and King of the Wild Frontier turned Representative from Nebraska, Davy Crockett wrote a book about how terrible MVB was. (I totally want to read it!)
Native American's weren't exactly pleased with Van Buren either. It might have been Andrew Jackson's plan, but the Trail of Tears actually occurred under MVB.
None of that was the biggest issue of the Van Buren presidency though. That belongs to the Panic of 1837, America's first great depression. Turns out not renewing that National Bank (see Andrew Jackson's presidency) tanked the economy. People were out of work, rioting, and MVB was doing nothing about it, thinking it would all fix itself.
While America was suffering, MVB was throwing lavish parties and requesting to eat from golden spoons. He earned himself a new nickname: Martin Van Ruin, thanks to his disastrous economy, and his refusal to do anything about it.
He had a few accomplishments... But he was facing an uphill battle for re-election.
Things got even worse when he refused to drop his Veep from his ticket (he was involved in some scoodilypooping with a black girl *gasp*)
and he refused to allow the annexation of Texas... both which ticked off Andrew Jackson. MVB had now lost the support of the former president he served under.
And then we have a much better, more organized Whig Party in Old Tippecanoe and Tyler too. There's log cabin cups and tin balls, and even though MVB was the one born in tavern, he's now too aristocratic for the everyday American, and even the political machines can't help MVB.
MVB was out, and retired to his house in Old Kinderhook, where he installed the town's first indoor toilet. Fun fact: it's still there (and owned by the National Park Service), and totally on my bucket list.
MVB tried to make a comeback, two more times in fact. He lost the Democratic nomination in 1844 to James Polk.
When that didn't work he flopped on the one issue he actually had an opinion about and joined the Free Soil Party (a single issue anti-slavery party, which eventually became part of the Republican Party- though MVB went back to the Democrats-- I told you, he was a FLIP FLOPPER!).
But he lost that election to the Whigs as well, when Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore took office.
MVB mostly enjoyed his retirement in an alarmingly though completely characteristically crappy way. He sometimes gambled, though not in a casino or with friends, but instead he would gamble on elections that he would personally help rig.
MVB died at the age of 79, barely a year after the Civil War broke out. He outlived four of his successors to the White House: Harrison, Tyler, Polk, and Taylor.
In the eyes of history, MVB isn't a good, or great president. Not just because he was a crappy guy (although yes, he was), but because he exudes everything wrong with politics. He played the game, he manipulated, he held whatever stane would get him ahead. He didn't want to help, he wanted power. But, he gets put in the 20s in presidential rankings because of his role in creating the Democratic Party.
Oh, and one more thing. There is a little thing called the Van Buren Effect. For the next 14 years after he was president, no Vice President would ascend to the office of the presidency by being elected (sure guys died, and VP's became president and were THEN re-elected - but were talking running and seeking the office on your own. Nixon doesn't count, because he lost the election right after being veep). VP's actually have a better chance of becoming president by having their Commander in Chief kick the bucket.
So who broke the streak?
Why, that would be George H.W. Bush
Some fun Van Buren facts...
his presidential issues...
...and his quote...
..plus all the props...
...got added to the inside of his book.
Although, don't you now find his book appropriately titled?
and made our birthday cards.
We had a fancy dinner in honor of Mr. Fancy Pants..
...with British food and apples, MVB's favs!
He also enjoyed a good donut, so that was our activity for the day. We got this cute little donut maker on Amazon, and then just mixed up some cake batter.
Calib tried his hand at it first.
While Hayden frosted.
Calib *may* have filled it a little too much, so Peyton took over.
And Calib went on frosting duty.
We also did our historical hashtag: Stop calling me Martin Van Ruin #IdidOK
And with that the first and last row are done. Please excuse the chair in the corner, it had to go somewhere when we got our tree this week. Maybel is pleased with it- and thankfully, she hasn't messed with our hashtag flip books.
We do have another activity to get to for Martin Van Buren, but it was such a busy day, we didn't fit it in. The game my brother got us for Christmas (a little early) is all about political machines. YES PLEASE! It looks like tons of fun. Anyone want to take bets on how long until we have to retire this one?
And that my friends, is it for Martin Van Buren!
We are down to just TWO president's left, and I actually did the research and wrote the story for one already. I have a super packed week ahead, and tons to get done, so I'm trying to power through.
Next Up: I'll be back in the next few days with your usual Waterstraut update. We've been in full Christmas mode with projects, activities, and field trips.
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