The Benton Grammar School (later renamed the "D.A. Holmes School" ) was a K–8 public school in Kansas City, Missouri . Originally opened in 1868 as a whites-only school, the school was converted to an all-black school in 1953. The school is perhaps best known as the alma mater of American animator and producer Walt Disney , who attended the school from 1910 to 1917.
134-541: The first Benton Grammar School building was built in 1868 and named in honor of Thomas Hart Benton , who represented Missouri in the United States Senate from 1821 to 1851. The original site of the school was at the corner of Liberty and 14th streets in Kansas City. The school was originally a whites-only school. In 1904, a new three-story school building was constructed with yellow brick and had 12 classrooms and
268-666: A "corrupt bargain". More than two decades after enslaved Africans in Haiti defeated their French colonial rulers in the Haitian Revolution , Benton explained the refusal of the United States to recognize the independent republic in a speech to the United States Senate. He said that "the peace of eleven states in this Union will not permit the fruits of a successful negro insurrection to be exhibited among them" and said whites in
402-628: A "gold standard". "Soft" (i.e. paper or credit) currency, in his opinion, favored rich urban Easterners at the expense of the small farmers and tradespeople of the West. He proposed a law requiring payment for federal land in hard currency only, which was defeated in Congress but later enshrined in an executive order, the Specie Circular , by Jackson (1836). His position on currency earned him the nickname Old Bullion . Senator Benton's greatest concern, however,
536-646: A Democratic leader in the Senate, serving as an important ally of President Jackson and President Martin Van Buren . He supported Jackson during the Bank War and proposed a land payment law that inspired Jackson's Specie Circular executive order. Benton's prime concern was the westward expansion of the United States. He called for the annexation of the Republic of Texas , which was accomplished in 1845. He pushed for compromise in
670-501: A Fourth of July parade in the 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain . At the beginning of chapter XXII it states: Even the Glorious Fourth was in some sense a failure, for it rained hard, there was no procession in consequence, and the greatest man in the world (as Tom supposed), Mr. Benton, an actual United States Senator, proved an overwhelming disappointment—for he was not twenty-five feet high, nor even anywhere in
804-417: A better shot, had made the rules of 30 feet apart to favor him. Benton challenged Lucas to a rematch on Bloody Island with shots fired from nine feet. Lucas was shot close to the heart and before dying initially told Benton, "I do not or cannot forgive you." As death approached Lucas then stated, "I can forgive you—I do forgive you." The Missouri Compromise of 1820 made the territory into a state, and Benton
938-716: A bone in his left arm. After the war, in 1815, Benton moved his estate to the newly opened Missouri Territory . As a Tennessean, he was under Jackson's shadow; in Missouri, he could be a big fish in the as-yet small pond. He settled in St. Louis , where he practiced law and edited the Missouri Enquirer , the second major newspaper west of the Mississippi River . In 1817, during a court case he and opposing attorney Charles Lucas accused each other of lying. When Lucas ran into him at
1072-587: A coalition of small farmers, but also enjoyed support from the Tammany Hall machine in New York City. During this era, Van Buren largely determined Tammany Hall's political policy for New York's Democratic-Republicans. A New York state referendum that expanded state voting rights to all white men in 1821, and which further increased the power of Tammany Hall, was guided by Van Buren. Although Governor Clinton remained in office until late 1822, Van Buren emerged as
1206-583: A contentious debate over the tariff and Calhoun's decade-old criticisms of Jackson's actions in the First Seminole War , contributed to a split between Jackson and Calhoun. As the debate over the tariff and the proposed ability of South Carolina to nullify federal law consumed Washington, Van Buren, not Calhoun, increasingly emerged as Jackson's likely successor. The Petticoat affair was finally resolved when Van Buren offered to resign. In April 1831, Jackson accepted and reorganized his cabinet by asking for
1340-577: A contingent vote. The election of 1836 marked an important turning point in American political history because it saw the establishment of the Second Party System . In the early 1830s, the political party structure was still changing rapidly, and factional and personal leaders continued to play a major role in politics. By the end of the campaign of 1836, the new Second Party System was almost complete, as nearly every faction had been absorbed by either
1474-571: A diplomatic solution to a long-standing financial dispute between American citizens and the Mexican government, rejecting Jackson's threat to settle it by force. Likewise, when the Texas minister at Washington, D.C., proposed annexation to the administration in August ;1837, he was told that the proposition could not be entertained. Constitutional scruples and fear of war with Mexico were the reasons given for
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#17328448588971608-546: A father and state party leader, Van Buren remained closely engaged in his legislative duties, and during his time in the Senate he served as the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee . As he gained renown, Van Buren earned monikers like "Little Magician" and "Sly Fox". Van Buren chose to back Crawford over John Quincy Adams , Andrew Jackson , and Henry Clay in
1742-427: A kindergarten room. The building was Renaissance Revival architecture and was located at Benton Boulevard in Kansas City, and was formally opened on September 12, 1904. The school enrolled students from kindergarten / pre-K (age 5–6) to 8th grade (up to age 14). In 1921, 8 additional classrooms were added to the school due to an increase in enrollment. By that year, there were approximately 1,300 students enrolled in
1876-532: A law partnership with his half-brother, James Van Alen, and became financially secure enough to increase his focus on politics. Van Buren had been active in politics from age 18, if not before. In 1801, he attended a Democratic-Republican Party convention in Troy, New York , where he worked successfully to secure for John Peter Van Ness the party nomination in a special election for the 6th Congressional District seat. Upon returning to Kinderhook, Van Buren broke with
2010-560: A letter protesting his treatment of the Cherokee. An estimated 4,000 Cherokee died during the Trail of Tears. Entire Indian nations were relocated, with some losing as much as half their populations. Van Buren claimed that America was "perhaps in the beginning unjustifiable aggressors” toward the Indians, but later became the "guardians". He told Congress that a "mixed occupancy of the same territory by
2144-568: A loose coalition bound by mutual opposition to Jackson's anti-bank policies. Lacking the party unity or organizational strength to field a single ticket or define a single platform, the Whigs ran several regional candidates in hopes of sending the election to the House of Representatives. The three candidates were Hugh Lawson White of Tennessee, Daniel Webster of Massachusetts, and William Henry Harrison of Indiana. Besides endorsing internal improvements and
2278-667: A member of the Democratic-Republican Party , won a seat in the New York State Senate , and was elected to the United States Senate in 1821. As the leader of the Bucktails faction of the party, Van Buren established the political machine known as the Albany Regency . He ran successfully for governor of New York to support Andrew Jackson's candidacy in the 1828 presidential election but resigned shortly after Jackson
2412-568: A national bank, the Whigs tried to tie Democrats to abolitionism and sectional tension, and attacked Jackson for "acts of aggression and usurpation of power". Southern voters represented the biggest potential impediment to Van Buren's quest for the presidency, as many were apprehensive at the prospect of a Northern president. Van Buren moved to obtain their support by assuring them that he opposed abolitionism and supported maintaining slavery in states where it already existed. To demonstrate consistency regarding his opinions on slavery, Van Buren cast
2546-476: A native of Buurmalsen, Netherlands who had emigrated to New Netherland in 1631 and purchased a plot of land on Manhattan Island . Along with being the first U.S. president who was not born a British subject, Van Buren was also the first U.S. president not of British ancestry; he was of entirely Dutch descent. Abraham Van Buren had been a Patriot during the American Revolution , and he later joined
2680-505: A new phase of attrition. Realizing it was almost impossible to remove the remaining Seminoles from Florida, the administration negotiated a compromise allowing them to remain in southwest Florida. Just before leaving office in March 1837, Andrew Jackson extended diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Texas , which had won independence from Mexico in the Texas Revolution . By suggesting
2814-531: A political lieutenant of Aaron Burr . Van Ness introduced Van Buren to the intricacies of New York state politics, and Van Buren observed Burr's battles for control of the state Democratic-Republican party against George Clinton and Robert R. Livingston . He returned to Kinderhook in 1803, after his admission to the New York bar . Van Buren married Hannah Hoes in Catskill, New York , on February 21, 1807, when he
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#17328448588972948-458: A political organizer. His formal education ended in 1796, when he began reading law at the office of Peter Silvester and his son Francis. Van Buren, at 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) tall, was small in stature, and affectionately nicknamed "Little Van". . He was also called the "Red Fox" due to his "bushy reddish sideburns, striking forehead and prominent nose." When he began his legal studies he wore rough, homespun clothing, causing
3082-481: A prosecutor of William Hull during Hull's court-martial following the surrender of Detroit. Anticipating another military campaign, he collaborated with Winfield Scott on ways to reorganize the New York Militia in the winter of 1814–1815, but the end of the war halted their work in early 1815. Van Buren was so favorably impressed by Scott that he named his fourth son after him. Van Buren's strong support for
3216-479: A senator from Massachusetts who could have potentially threatened Van Buren's project to create two parties separated by policy differences rather than personalities. During Jackson's second term, the president's supporters began to refer to themselves as members of the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, those opposed to Jackson, including Clay's National Republicans, followers of Calhoun and Webster, and many members of
3350-604: A severe blow to the Albany Regency, as Clinton returned to the governorship with the support of the People's party. By the time the state legislature convened to choose the state's presidential electors , results from other states had made it clear that no individual would win a majority of the electoral vote, necessitating a contingent election in the United States House of Representatives . While Adams and Jackson finished in
3484-400: A severe stroke that left him in poor health, Van Buren continued to support his chosen candidate. In May 1824, Van Buren met with 81-year-old former President Thomas Jefferson in an attempt to bolster Crawford's candidacy, and though he was unsuccessful in gaining a public endorsement for Crawford, he nonetheless cherished the chance to meet with his political hero. The 1824 elections dealt
3618-510: A widower, Van Buren was unaffected by the position of the cabinet wives. Van Buren initially sought to mend the divide in the cabinet, but most of the leading citizens in Washington continued to snub the Eatons. Jackson was close to Eaton, and he came to the conclusion that the allegations against Eaton arose from a plot against his administration led by Henry Clay. The Petticoat Affair, combined with
3752-407: Is not your own—it belongs to the people of Missouri. They are against Mr. Adams. I, in their name, do solemnly protest against your intention, and deny your moral power thus to bestow your vote." Benton first supported Crawford, but after determining that he could not win, supported Jackson. Scott voted for Adams. Adams was elected and appointed Clay as Secretary of State . This was viewed by many as
3886-479: Is perhaps best known as the alma mater of American animator and producer Walt Disney, who attended the school from 1910 to 1917. The 1931 edition of "The Bentonion" school yearbook includes a six-paragraph tribute letter written to the school from Disney. Disney credited the Benton School and his favorite teacher, Daisy Beck, for fostering his creativity and love for cartoons and storytelling. In 1938, Disney invited
4020-454: Is praised for anti-slavery stances, in historical rankings, historians and political scientists often rank Van Buren as an average or below-average U.S. president , due to his handling of the Panic of 1837. Van Buren was initially the leading candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination again in 1844, but his continued opposition to the annexation of Texas angered Southern Democrats, leading to
4154-564: The 1812 presidential election . After the election, Van Buren became suspicious that Clinton was working with the Federalist Party, and he broke from his former political ally. During the War of 1812, Van Buren worked with Clinton, Governor Tompkins, and Ambrose Spencer to support the Madison administration's prosecution of the war. In addition, he was a special judge advocate appointed to serve as
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4288-547: The 1828 election . Hoping that a Jackson victory would lead to his elevation to Secretary of State or Secretary of the Treasury, Van Buren chose Enos T. Throop as his running mate and preferred successor. Van Buren's candidacy was aided by the split between supporters of Adams, who had adopted the label of National Republicans , and the Anti-Masonic Party. Reflecting his public association with Jackson, Van Buren accepted
4422-645: The American Civil War , Van Buren was a War Democrat who supported the policies of President Abraham Lincoln , a Republican . He died of asthma at his home in Kinderhook in 1862, aged 79. Martin Van Buren was born on December 5, 1782, in Kinderhook, New York , about 20 miles (32 km) south of Albany in the Hudson River Valley . His father, Abraham Van Buren , was a descendant of Cornelis Maessen,
4556-819: The British West Indies colonies and concluded a treaty with the Ottoman Empire that gained American merchants access to the Black Sea . Items on which he did not achieve success included settling the Maine - New Brunswick boundary dispute with Great Britain, gaining settlement of the U.S. claim to the Oregon Country , concluding a commercial treaty with Russia, and persuading Mexico to sell Texas . In addition to his foreign policy duties, Van Buren quickly emerged as an important advisor to Jackson on major domestic issues like
4690-667: The Democratic Party and argued vigorously against the Bank of the United States . Jackson was censured by the Senate in 1834 for canceling the Bank's charter. At the close of the Jackson presidency, Benton led a successful "expungement campaign" in 1837 to remove the censure motion from the official record. Benton was an unflagging advocate for "hard money", that is gold coin (specie) or bullion as money—as opposed to paper money "backed" by gold as in
4824-466: The Democratic-Republican Party . He owned an inn and tavern in Kinderhook and served as Kinderhook's town clerk for several years. In 1776, he married Maria Hoes (or Goes) Van Alen (1746–1818) in the town of Kinderhook , also of Dutch extraction and the widow of Johannes Van Alen (1744-c. 1773). She had three children from her first marriage, including future U.S. Representative James I. Van Alen . Her second marriage produced five children, of which Martin
4958-579: The Federalist Party , of which the Silvesters were also strong supporters, Van Buren adopted his father's Democratic-Republican leanings. The Silvesters and Democratic-Republican political figure John Peter Van Ness suggested that Van Buren's political leanings constrained him to complete his education with a Democratic-Republican attorney, so he spent a final year of apprenticeship in the New York City office of John Van Ness's brother William P. Van Ness ,
5092-498: The Hamiltonian economic model favored by Federalists, which he strongly opposed. Despite his opposition to Adams's public policies, Van Buren easily secured re-election in his divided home state in 1827. Van Buren's overarching goal at the national level was to restore a two-party system with party cleavages based on philosophical differences, and he viewed the old divide between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans as beneficial to
5226-633: The Kitchen Cabinet , Jackson's informal circle of advisors. In August 1831, Jackson gave Van Buren a recess appointment as the ambassador to Britain , and Van Buren arrived in London in September. He was cordially received, but in February ;1832, shortly after his 49th birthday, he learned that the Senate had rejected his nomination. The rejection of Van Buren was essentially the work of Calhoun. When
5360-459: The Petticoat Affair . The Petticoat Affair arose because Peggy Eaton , wife of Secretary of War John H. Eaton , was ostracized by the other cabinet wives due to the circumstances of her marriage. Led by Floride Calhoun , wife of Vice President John Calhoun, the other cabinet wives refused to pay courtesy calls to the Eatons, receive them as visitors, or invite them to social events. As
5494-512: The Philanthropic Society , but in 1799 he was dismissed from school after admitting to stealing money from fellow students. As Benton was leaving campus on the day he was expelled, he turned to the students who were jeering him and said, "I am leaving here now but damn you, you will hear from me again." He then left school to manage the Benton family estate, but historians posit that Benton used
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5628-551: The United States House of Representatives , but his opposition to the Kansas–Nebraska Act led to his defeat in 1854. He ran for Governor of Missouri in 1856, but lost to Trusten Polk . That same year, his son-in-law, John C. Frémont , husband of his daughter Jessie , ran for President on the Republican Party ticket; but Benton was a party loyalist to the end and voted for Democratic nominee James Buchanan , who won
5762-539: The University of North Carolina in 1799 for theft, he established a law practice and plantation near Nashville, Tennessee . He served as an aide to General Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812 and settled in St. Louis , Missouri, after the war. Missouri became a state in 1821, and Benton won election as one of its inaugural pair of United States Senators. The Democratic-Republican Party fractured after 1824, and Benton became
5896-797: The election . He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1855. He published his autobiography, Thirty Years' View , in 1854, and Historical and legal examination of ... the decision of the Supreme Court ... in the Dred Scott case (arguing that the Court should have declined to decide the case, as political), in 1857. He died in Washington, D.C. , on April 10, 1858. His descendants have continued to be prominent in Missouri life; his great-grandnephew, also Thomas Hart Benton ,
6030-522: The presidential election of 1824 . Crawford shared Van Buren's affinity for Jeffersonian principles of states' rights and limited government, and Van Buren believed that Crawford was the ideal figure to lead a coalition of New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia's " Richmond Junto ". Van Buren's support for Crawford aroused strong opposition in New York in the form of the People's party, which drew support from Clintonians, Federalists, and others opposed to Van Buren. Nonetheless, Van Buren helped Crawford win
6164-489: The telegraph for long-distance communication. He was also a staunch advocate of the disenfranchisement and displacement of Native Americans in favor of European settlers. He was an orator and leader of the first class, able to stand his own with or against fellow senators Daniel Webster , Henry Clay , and John C. Calhoun . Although an expansionist, his personal morals made him opposed to greedy or underhanded behavior—thus his opposition to Fifty-Four Forty. Benton advocated
6298-425: The " Bucktails ". The Bucktails succeeded in emphasizing party loyalty and used it to capture and control many patronage posts throughout New York. Through his use of patronage, loyal newspapers, and connections with local party officials and leaders, Van Buren established what became known as the " Albany Regency ", a political machine that emerged as an important factor in New York politics. The Regency relied on
6432-471: The " Era of Good Feelings ", a period in which partisan distinctions at the national level had faded. Van Buren quickly became a prominent figure in Washington, D.C., befriending Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford , among others. Though not an exceptional orator, Van Buren frequently spoke on the Senate floor, usually after extensively researching the subject at hand. Despite his commitments as
6566-472: The Anti-Masonic Party, coalesced into the Whig Party . President Andrew Jackson declined to seek another term in the 1836 presidential election , but he remained influential within the Democratic Party as his second term came to an end. Jackson was determined to help elect Van Buren in 1836 so that the latter could continue the Jackson administration's policies. The two men—the charismatic "Old Hickory" and
6700-713: The Benton Annex after Benton, became the Hattie Redmond Women and Gender Center. The choice to rename it after Redmond was made to recognize her efforts as an Oregonian suffragist. Uniquely, Benton has been the subject of biographical study by two men who later became presidents of the United States. In 1887, Theodore Roosevelt published a biography of Benton. Benton is also one of the eight senators profiled in John F. Kennedy 's 1956 book, Profiles in Courage . Benton appears at
6834-505: The Burr faction, becoming an ally of both DeWitt Clinton and Daniel D. Tompkins . After the faction led by Clinton and Tompkins dominated the 1807 elections, Van Buren was appointed Surrogate of Columbia County, New York . Seeking a better base for his political and legal career, Van Buren and his family moved to the town of Hudson , the seat of Columbia County, in 1808. Van Buren's legal practice continued to flourish, and he traveled all over
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#17328448588976968-539: The Democratic nomination in 1844 . Later in his life, Van Buren emerged as an elder statesman and an anti-slavery leader who led the Free Soil Party ticket in the 1848 presidential election . Van Buren was born in Kinderhook, New York , where most residents were of Dutch descent and spoke Dutch as their primary language; he is the only president to have spoken English as a second language. He entered politics as
7102-451: The Democratic ticket won the 1832 presidential election. With Jackson's strong support and the organizational strength of the Democratic Party, Van Buren successfully ran for president in the 1836 presidential election. However, his popularity soon eroded because of his response to the Panic of 1837 , which centered on his Independent Treasury system, a plan under which the federal government of
7236-480: The Democratic-Republican party's presidential nomination at the February 1824 congressional nominating caucus . The other Democratic-Republican candidates in the race refused to accept the poorly attended caucus's decision, and as the Federalist Party had all but ceased to function as a national party, the 1824 campaign became a competition among four candidates of the same party. Though Crawford suffered
7370-413: The Democrats or the Whigs. Martin Van Buren was sworn in as the eighth President of the United States on March 4, 1837. He retained much of Jackson's cabinet and lower-level appointees, as he hoped that the retention of Jackson's appointees would stop Whig momentum in the South and restore confidence in the Democrats as a party of sectional unity. The cabinet holdovers represented the different regions of
7504-420: The Democrats, along with Andrew Jackson's economic policies, specifically his 1836 Specie Circular . Cries of "rescind the circular!" went up and former president Jackson sent word to Van Buren asking him not to rescind the order, believing that it had to be given enough time to work. Others, like Nicholas Biddle , believed that Jackson's dismantling of the Bank of the United States was directly responsible for
7638-482: The House contest, Van Buren shrewdly kept out of the controversy which followed, and began looking forward to 1828. Jackson was angered to see the presidency go to Adams despite Jackson having won more popular votes than Adams had, and he eagerly looked forward to a rematch. Jackson's supporters accused Adams and Clay of having made a " corrupt bargain " in which Clay helped Adams win the contingent election in return for Clay's appointment as Secretary of State . Van Buren
7772-421: The House to support him. He hoped to engineer a Crawford victory on the second ballot of the contingent election, but Adams won on the first ballot with the help of Clay and Stephen Van Rensselaer , a Congressman from New York. Despite his close ties with Van Buren, Van Rensselaer cast his vote for Adams, thus giving Adams a narrow majority of New York's delegation and a victory in the contingent election. After
7906-424: The Independent Treasury system in 1841, but it was revived in 1846, and remained in place until the passage of the Federal Reserve Act in 1913. More important for Van Buren's immediate future, the depression would be a major issue in his upcoming re-election campaign. Federal policy under Jackson had sought to move Indian tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River through the Indian Removal Act of 1830 , and
8040-492: The Post Office, War Department, and Navy Department had significant autonomy under their respective cabinet secretaries. When Van Buren entered office, the nation's economic health had taken a turn for the worse and the prosperity of the early 1830s was over. Two months into his presidency, on May 10, 1837, some important state banks in New York, running out of hard currency reserves, refused to convert paper money into gold or silver, and other financial institutions throughout
8174-425: The Senate. His loyalty to the Democratic Party was legendary. Benton was the legislative right-hand man for Andrew Jackson and continued this role for Martin Van Buren . With the election of James K. Polk , however, his power began to ebb, and his views diverged from the party's. His career took a distinct downturn with the issue of slavery. Benton, a southerner and slave owner, became increasingly uncomfortable with
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#17328448588978308-448: The Silvesters to admonish him to pay greater heed to his clothing and personal appearance as an aspiring lawyer. He accepted their advice, and subsequently emulated the Silvesters' clothing, appearance, bearing, and conduct. The lessons he learned from the Silvesters were reflected in his career as a lawyer and politician, in which Van Buren was known for his amiability and fastidious appearance. Despite Kinderhook's strong affiliation with
8442-431: The South would never support Adams, and New England would never support Jackson, he was willing to alienate both regions through passage of the tariff. Meanwhile, Clinton's death from a heart attack in 1828 dramatically shook up the politics of Van Buren's home state, while the Anti-Masonic Party emerged as an increasingly important factor. After some initial reluctance, Van Buren chose to run for Governor of New York in
8576-415: The United States would store its funds in vaults rather than in banks; more conservative Democrats and Whigs in Congress ultimately delayed his plan from being implemented until 1840. His presidency was further marred by the costly Second Seminole War and his refusal to admit Texas to the Union as a slave state . In 1840, Van Buren lost his re-election bid to William Henry Harrison . While Van Buren
8710-500: The United States. The tariff also raised the cost of living in the South, because Southern states had little manufacturing capacity, which required them to export raw materials including cotton or sell them to Northern manufacturers, then import higher-priced finished goods or purchase them from the North. The tariff thus satisfied many who sought protection from foreign competition, but angered Southern cotton interests and New England importers and manufacturers. Because Van Buren believed
8844-453: The age of 50. During the Nullification Crisis , Van Buren counseled Jackson to pursue a policy of conciliation with South Carolina leaders. He played little direct role in the passage of the Tariff of 1833 , but he quietly hoped that the tariff would help bring an end to the Nullification Crisis, which it did. As vice president, Van Buren continued to be one of Jackson's primary advisors and confidants, and accompanied Jackson on his tour of
8978-399: The annexation of Texas and argued for the abrogation of the 1819 Adams-Onís Treaty in which the United States relinquished claims to that territory, but he was opposed to the machinations that led to its annexation in 1845 and the Mexican–American War . He believed that expansion was for the good of the country, and not for the benefit of powerful individuals. On February 28, 1844, Benton
9112-437: The bank as an extension of the Hamiltonian economic program, so he supported Jackson's veto of the bank's re-charter. Henry Clay, the presidential nominee of the National Republicans, made the struggle over the bank the key issue of the presidential election of 1832 . The Jackson–Van Buren ticket won the 1832 election by a landslide, and Van Buren took office as the eighth Vice President of the United States on March 4, 1833, at
9246-421: The conflicting opinions" of his counselors. Such detachment allowed the president to reserve judgment and protect his prerogative for making final decisions. These open discussions gave cabinet members a sense of participation and made them feel part of a functioning entity, rather than isolated executive agents. Van Buren was closely involved in foreign affairs and matters pertaining to the Treasury Department; but
9380-452: The construction of the Erie Canal , an ambitious project designed to connect Lake Erie to the Atlantic Ocean. Though many of Van Buren's allies urged him to block Clinton's Erie Canal bill, Van Buren believed that the canal would benefit the state. His support for the bill helped it win approval from the New York legislature. Despite his support for the Erie Canal, Van Buren became the leader of an anti-Clintonian faction in New York known as
9514-471: The country: Secretary of the Treasury Levi Woodbury came from New England, Attorney General Benjamin Franklin Butler and Secretary of the Navy Mahlon Dickerson hailed from New York and New Jersey, respectively, Secretary of State John Forsyth of Georgia represented the South, and Postmaster General Amos Kendall of Kentucky represented the West. For the lone open position of Secretary of War, Van Buren first approached William Cabell Rives, who had sought
9648-452: The crisis, the Whigs proposed rechartering the national bank . The president countered by proposing the establishment of an independent U.S. treasury , which he contended would take the politics out of the nation's money supply. Under the plan, the government would hold its money in gold or silver , and would be restricted from printing paper money at will; both measures were designed to prevent inflation. The plan would permanently separate
9782-479: The decisive state of Pennsylvania by a little over 4,000 voters, indicating the fragility of the voting coalition that Van Buren had inherited from Jackson. Virginia's presidential electors voted for Van Buren for president, but voted for William Smith for vice president, leaving Johnson one electoral vote short of election. In accordance with the Twelfth Amendment , the Senate elected Johnson vice president in
9916-511: The efficient "Sly Fox"—had entirely different personalities but had become an effective team in eight years in office together. With Jackson's support, Van Buren won the presidential nomination of the 1835 Democratic National Convention without opposition. Two names were put forward for the vice-presidential nomination: Representative Richard M. Johnson of Kentucky, and former Senator William Cabell Rives of Virginia. Southern Democrats, and Van Buren himself, strongly preferred Rives. Jackson, on
10050-593: The election, Van Buren resigned from the Senate to start his term as governor, which began on January 1, 1829. While his term as governor was short, he did manage to pass the Bank Safety Fund Law, an early form of deposit insurance, through the legislature. He also appointed several key supporters, including William L. Marcy and Silas Wright , to important state positions. In February 1829, Jackson wrote to Van Buren to ask him to become Secretary of State. Van Buren quickly agreed, and he resigned as governor
10184-610: The entire student body of the school to see a screening of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for free. In 1942, Disney returned to the Benton School for a reunion, and a dedication of a new Works Progress Administration mural in the school's hallways to commemorate Disney's education and upbringing in Kansas City. The voice of Donald Duck , Clarence Nash , also accompanied Disney for the festivities. Thomas Hart Benton (politician) Thomas Hart Benton (March 14, 1782 – April 10, 1858), nicknamed "Old Bullion" ,
10318-456: The events as motivation to prove himself worthy in adulthood. Attracted by the opportunities in the West, the young Benton moved the family to a 40,000 acre (160 km ) holding near Nashville, Tennessee . Here he established a plantation with accompanying schools, churches, and mills. His experience as a pioneer instilled a devotion to Jeffersonian democracy which continued through his political career. He continued his legal education and
10452-501: The extremism of the "Fifty-four forty or fight" movement during the Oregon boundary dispute . Benton was the author of the first Homestead Acts , which encouraged settlement by giving land grants to anyone willing to work the soil. He pushed for greater exploration of the West, including support for his son-in-law John C. Frémont 's numerous treks. He pushed hard for public support of the intercontinental railway and advocated greater use of
10586-440: The father of painter Thomas Hart Benton . Seven states ( Arkansas , Indiana , Iowa , Minnesota , Missouri , Oregon , and Washington ) have counties named after Benton. Two counties ( Calhoun County, Alabama , and Hernando County, Florida ) were formerly named Benton County in his honor. During Reconstruction , Benton County, Mississippi , was misrepresented by residents as being named after Benton. Bentonville, Indiana ,
10720-546: The federal government negotiated 19 treaties with Indian tribes during Van Buren's presidency. The 1835 Treaty of New Echota signed by government officials and representatives of the Cherokee tribe had established terms under which the Cherokees ceded their territory in the southeast and agreed to move west to Oklahoma . In 1838, Van Buren directed General Winfield Scott to forcibly move all those who had not yet complied with
10854-532: The following month; his tenure of forty-three days is the shortest of any Governor of New York. No serious diplomatic crises arose during Van Buren's tenure as Secretary of State, but he achieved several notable successes, such as settling long-standing claims against France and winning reparations for property that had been seized during the Napoleonic Wars . He reached an agreement with the British to open trade with
10988-552: The government from private banks by storing government funds in government vaults rather than in private banks. Van Buren announced his proposal in September ;1837, but an alliance of conservative Democrats and Whigs prevented it from becoming law until 1840. As the debate continued, conservative Democrats like Rives defected to the Whig Party, which itself grew more unified in its opposition to Van Buren. The Whigs would abolish
11122-481: The gubernatorial nomination on a ticket that called itself "Jacksonian-Democrat". He campaigned on local as well as national issues, emphasizing his opposition to the policies of the Adams administration. Van Buren ran ahead of Jackson, winning the state by 30,000 votes compared to a margin of 5,000 for Jackson. Nationally, Jackson defeated Adams by a wide margin, winning nearly every state outside of New England. After
11256-506: The irresponsible creation of paper money by the state banks which had precipitated this panic. The Panic of 1837 loomed large over the 1838 election cycle , as the carryover effects of the economic downturn led to Whig gains in both the U.S. House and Senate. The state elections in 1837 and 1838 were also disastrous for the Democrats, and the partial economic recovery in 1838 was offset by a second commercial crisis later that year. To address
11390-429: The leader of the state's Democratic-Republicans after the 1820 elections. Van Buren was a member of the 1820 state constitutional convention , where he favored expanded voting rights, but opposed universal suffrage and tried to maintain property requirements for voting. In February 1821, the state legislature elected Van Buren to represent New York in the United States Senate . Van Buren arrived in Washington during
11524-410: The nation quickly followed suit. This financial crisis would become known as the Panic of 1837 . The Panic was followed by a five-year depression in which banks failed and unemployment reached record highs. Van Buren blamed the economic collapse on greedy American and foreign business and financial institutions, as well as the over-extension of credit by U.S. banks. Whig leaders in Congress blamed
11658-435: The nation. Van Buren believed that these national parties helped ensure that elections were decided on national, rather than sectional or local, issues; as he put it, "party attachment in former times furnished a complete antidote for sectional prejudices". After the 1824 election, Van Buren was initially somewhat skeptical of Jackson, who had not taken strong positions on most policy issues. Nonetheless, he settled on Jackson as
11792-514: The neighborhood of it. Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( / v æ n ˈ b jʊər ən / van BURE -ən ; Dutch : Maarten van Buren [ˈmaːrtə(ɱ) vɑm ˈbyːrə(n)] ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States , serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party , he served as New York's attorney general and U.S. senator , then briefly as
11926-399: The ninth governor of New York before joining Andrew Jackson 's administration as the tenth United States secretary of state , minister to Great Britain , and ultimately the eighth vice president from 1833 to 1837, after being elected on Jackson's ticket in 1832 . Van Buren won the presidency in 1836 against divided Whig opponents. Van Buren lost re-election in 1840 , and failed to win
12060-469: The nomination of James K. Polk . Growing opposed to slavery, Van Buren was the newly formed Free Soil Party's presidential nominee in 1848, and his candidacy helped Whig nominee Zachary Taylor defeat Democrat Lewis Cass . Worried about sectional tensions, Van Buren returned to the Democratic Party after 1848 but was disappointed with the pro-southern presidencies of Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan . During
12194-458: The northeastern United States in 1833. Jackson's struggle with the Second Bank of the United States continued, as the president sought to remove federal funds from the bank. Though initially apprehensive of the removal due to congressional support for the bank, Van Buren eventually came to support Jackson's policy. He also helped undermine a fledgling alliance between Jackson and Daniel Webster ,
12328-432: The one candidate who could beat Adams in the 1828 presidential election , and he worked to bring Crawford's former backers into line behind Jackson. He also forged alliances with other members of Congress opposed to Adams, including Vice President John C. Calhoun , Senator Thomas Hart Benton , and Senator John Randolph . Seeking to solidify his standing in New York and bolster Jackson's campaign, Van Buren helped arrange
12462-457: The other hand, strongly preferred Johnson. Again, Jackson's considerable influence prevailed, and Johnson received the required two-thirds vote after New York Senator Silas Wright prevailed upon non-delegate Edward Rucker to cast the 15 votes of the absent Tennessee delegation in Johnson's favor. Van Buren's competitors in the election of 1836 were three members of the Whig Party, which remained
12596-604: The partition of Oregon Country with the British and supported the 1846 Oregon Treaty , which divided the territory along the 49th parallel. He also authored the first Homestead Act , which granted land to settlers willing to farm it. Though he owned slaves, Benton came to oppose the institution of slavery after the Mexican–American War , and he opposed the Compromise of 1850 as too favorable to pro-slavery interests. This stance damaged Benton's popularity in Missouri, and
12730-570: The party's vice presidential nominee. Van Buren won the nomination over Philip P. Barbour (Calhoun's favored candidate) and Richard Mentor Johnson due to the support of Jackson and the strength of the Albany Regency. Upon Van Buren's return from Europe in July ;1832, he became involved in the Bank War , a struggle over the renewal of the charter of the Second Bank of the United States . Van Buren had long been distrustful of banks, and he viewed
12864-504: The passage of the Tariff of 1828 , which opponents labeled as the "Tariff of Abominations". The tariff was intended to protect northern and western agricultural products from foreign competition, but the resulting tax on imports cut into the profits of New England businessmen, who imported raw materials including iron to make into finished goods for subsequent resale, as well as finished goods including clothing for distribution and resale throughout
12998-504: The policies of his predecessor. Additionally, Van Buren had helped select Jackson's cabinet appointees and enjoyed strong working relationships with them. Van Buren held regular formal cabinet meetings and discontinued the informal gatherings of advisors that had attracted so much attention during Jackson's presidency. He solicited advice from department heads, tolerated open and even frank exchanges between cabinet members, perceiving himself as "a mediator, and to some extent an umpire between
13132-525: The position, which denied him combat experience. In August 1814, troops under Benton constructed Fort Montgomery in the Mississippi Territory . In June 1813, Jackson dueled a member of Benton's staff and his brother Jesse. In September, Jackson and Benton got into a fight at a hotel in Nashville, and Jackson was shot in the arm by Jesse. The bullet, which was removed during Jackson's presidency, broke
13266-492: The prospect of quick annexation , Jackson raised the danger of war with Mexico and heightened sectional tensions at home. New England abolitionists charged that there was a " slaveholding conspiracy to acquire Texas", and Daniel Webster eloquently denounced annexation. Many Southern leaders, meanwhile, strongly desired the expansion of slave-holding territory in the United States. Boldly reversing Jackson's policies, Van Buren sought peace abroad and harmony at home. He proposed
13400-460: The resignations of the anti-Eaton cabinet members. Postmaster General William T. Barry , who had sided with the Eatons in the Petticoat Affair, was the lone cabinet member to remain in office. The cabinet reorganization removed Calhoun's allies from the Jackson administration, and Van Buren had a major role in shaping the new cabinet. After leaving office, Van Buren continued to play a part in
13534-710: The school was renamed and dedicated as the D.A. Holmes School in honor of the Reverend D.A. Holmes, a local African American Baptist minister and civil rights leader in Kansas City. In 1986, the school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Santa Fe Place Historic District . The school closed in June 1997 and the building was later converted to the D.A. Holmes Senior Apartments, operated by Fairway Management, Inc. The Benton School
13668-498: The school. During the period of school segregation in the United States , the Kansas City School District converted the school to a Black school in the early 1950s. The move was strongly opposed by White families in the area, and over 500 white families protested the change. During this period, an arsonist set fire to the school, likely due to the conversion of the school to serve African American students. In 1953,
13802-409: The south would "not permit black Consuls and Ambassadors to establish themselves in our cities, and to parade through our country, and give their fellow blacks in the United States, proof in hand of the honors which await them, for a like successful effort on their part." After this, Benton and Jackson put their personal differences behind them and joined forces. Benton became the senatorial leader for
13936-426: The state legislature denied him re-election in 1851. Benton won election to the United States House of Representatives in 1852 but was defeated for re-election in 1854 after he opposed the Kansas–Nebraska Act . Benton's son-in-law, John C. Frémont , won the 1856 Republican Party nomination for president, but Benton voted for James Buchanan and remained a loyal Democrat until his death in 1858. Thomas Hart Benton
14070-448: The state legislature. Van Buren's victory resulted from a combination of his attractive political and personal qualities, Jackson's popularity and endorsement, the organizational power of the Democratic Party, and the inability of the Whig Party to muster an effective candidate and campaign. Despite their lack of organization, the Whigs came close to their goal of forcing the election into the House of Representatives, with Van Buren winning
14204-533: The state to represent various clients. In 1812, Van Buren won his party's nomination for a seat in the New York State Senate . Though several Democratic-Republicans, including John Peter Van Ness, joined with the Federalists to oppose his candidacy, Van Buren won election to the state senate in mid-1812. Later in the year, the United States entered the War of 1812 against Great Britain, while Clinton launched an unsuccessful bid to defeat President James Madison in
14338-419: The state's attorney general. In 1819, he played an active part in prosecuting the accused murderers of Richard Jennings, the first murder-for-hire case in the state of New York. After Tompkins was elected as vice president in the 1816 presidential election , Clinton defeated Van Buren's preferred candidate, Peter Buell Porter , in the 1817 New York gubernatorial election . Clinton threw his influence behind
14472-475: The tariff and internal improvements. The Secretary of State was instrumental in convincing Jackson to issue the Maysville Road veto , which both reaffirmed limited government principles and also helped prevent the construction of infrastructure projects that could potentially compete with New York's Erie Canal. He also became involved in a power struggle with Calhoun over appointments and other issues, including
14606-631: The tie-breaking Senate vote for a bill to subject abolitionist mail to state laws, thus ensuring that its circulation would be prohibited in the South. Van Buren considered slavery to be immoral but sanctioned by the Constitution. Van Buren won the election with 764,198 popular votes, 50.9% of the total, and 170 electoral votes . Harrison led the Whigs with 73 electoral votes, White receiving 26, and Webster 14. Willie Person Mangum received South Carolina's 11 electoral votes, which were awarded by
14740-458: The top three and were eligible for selection in the contingent election, New York's electors would help determine whether Clay or Crawford would finish third. Though most of the state's electoral votes went to Adams, Crawford won one more electoral vote than Clay in the state, and Clay's defeat in Louisiana left Crawford in third place. With Crawford still in the running, Van Buren lobbied members of
14874-458: The topic. He was also at odds with fellow Democrats, such as John C. Calhoun , who he thought put their opinions ahead of the Union to a treasonous degree. With troubled conscience, in 1849 he declared himself "against the institution of slavery," putting him against his party and popular opinion in his state. In April 1850, during heated Senate floor debates over the proposed Compromise of 1850 , Benton
15008-546: The treaty. The Cherokees were herded violently into internment camps where they were kept for the summer of 1838. The actual transportation west was delayed by intense heat and drought, but in the fall, the Cherokee reluctantly agreed to transport themselves west. Some 20,000 people were relocated against their will during the Cherokee removal, part of the Trail of Tears . Notably, Ralph Waldo Emerson , who would go on to become America's foremost man of letters, wrote Van Buren
15142-673: The vice presidency in 1836. After Rives declined to join the cabinet, Van Buren appointed Joel Roberts Poinsett , a South Carolinian who had opposed secession during the Nullification Crisis . Van Buren's cabinet choices were criticized by Pennsylvanians such as James Buchanan , who argued that their state deserved a cabinet position as well as some Democrats who argued that Van Buren should have used his patronage powers to augment his power. However, Van Buren saw value in avoiding contentious patronage battles, and his decision to retain Jackson's cabinet made it clear that he intended to continue
15276-490: The victim of petty politics, Calhoun raised Van Buren in both Jackson's regard and the esteem of others in the Democratic Party. Far from ending Van Buren's career, Calhoun's action gave greater impetus to Van Buren's candidacy for vice president. Seeking to ensure that Van Buren would replace Calhoun as his running mate, Jackson had arranged for a national convention of his supporters. The May 1832 Democratic National Convention subsequently nominated Van Buren to serve as
15410-421: The vote on Van Buren's nomination was taken, enough pro-Calhoun Jacksonians refrained from voting to produce a tie, which allowed Calhoun to cast the deciding vote against Van Buren. Calhoun was elated, convinced that he had ended Van Buren's career. "It will kill him dead, sir, kill him dead. He will never kick, sir, never kick", Calhoun exclaimed to a friend. Calhoun's move backfired; by making Van Buren appear
15544-443: The voting polls he accused Benton of being delinquent in paying his taxes and thus should not be allowed to vote. Benton accused Lucas of being a "puppy" and Lucas challenged Benton to a duel. They had a duel on Bloody Island with Lucas being shot through the throat and Benton grazed in the knee. Upon bleeding profusely, Lucas said he was satisfied and Benton released him from completing the duel. However, rumors circulated that Benton,
15678-470: The war boosted his standing, and in 1815, he was elected to the position of New York Attorney General . Van Buren moved from Hudson to the state capital of Albany , where he established a legal partnership with Benjamin Butler , and shared a house with political ally Roger Skinner . In 1816, Van Buren won re-election to the state senate, and he would continue to simultaneously serve as both state senator and as
15812-591: The white and red man is incompatible with the safety or happiness of either", and also claimed the Cherokee had not protested their removal. President Jackson used the army to force Seminole Indians in Florida to move to the west. Many did surrender but they then escaped from detention camps. In December 1837, in the Second Seminole War the army launched a massive offensive, leading to the Battle of Lake Okeechobee and
15946-804: Was 24 years old and she was 23. She was his childhood sweetheart and a daughter of his maternal first cousin, Johannes Dircksen Hoes. She grew up in Valatie , and like Van Buren her home life was primarily Dutch; she spoke Dutch as her first language, and spoke English with a marked accent. The couple had six children, four of whom lived to adulthood: Abraham (1807–1873), unnamed daughter (stillborn around 1809), John (1810–1866), Martin Jr. (1812–1855), Winfield Scott (born and died in 1814), and Smith Thompson (1817–1876). Hannah contracted tuberculosis , and died in Kinderhook on February 5, 1819. Martin Van Buren never remarried. Upon returning to Kinderhook in 1803, Van Buren formed
16080-511: Was a 20th-century painter. Benton is buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis. Benton was related by marriage or blood to a number of 19th-century luminaries. Two of his nephews— Confederate Colonel and posthumous Brigadier General Samuel Benton of Mississippi, and Union Colonel and Brevet Brigadier General Thomas H. Benton Jr. of Iowa —fought on opposite sides during the Civil War. He
16214-514: Was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1805, and in 1809 served a term as state senator. He attracted the attention of Tennessee's "first citizen" Andrew Jackson , under whose tutelage he remained during the Tennessee years. At the outbreak of the War of 1812 , Jackson made Benton his aide-de-camp , with a commission as a lieutenant colonel. Benton was assigned to represent Jackson's interests to military officials in Washington D.C. ; he chafed under
16348-510: Was always courteous in his treatment of opponents and showed no bitterness toward either Adams or Clay, and he voted to confirm Clay's nomination to the cabinet. At the same time, Van Buren opposed the Adams-Clay plans for internal improvements like roads and canals and declined to support U.S. participation in the Congress of Panama . Van Buren considered Adams's proposals to represent a return to
16482-488: Was an American politician, attorney, soldier, and longtime United States Senator from Missouri . A member of the Democratic Party , he was an architect and champion of westward expansion by the United States, a cause that became known as manifest destiny . Benton served in the Senate from 1821 to 1851, becoming the first member of that body to serve five terms. He was born in North Carolina . After being expelled from
16616-560: Was born in Harts Mill, North Carolina , a settlement located near the present-day town of Hillsborough . His father Jesse Benton, a wealthy lawyer and landowner, died in 1790. His grandfather Abner Benton (c. 1720–1770) was born in Worcester , England , and settled in the Province of North Carolina . Thomas H. Benton also studied law at the University of North Carolina where he was a member of
16750-417: Was brother-in-law of James McDowell , Virginia Senator and Governor; father-in-law of John C. Frémont , explorer, Senator, presidential candidate, and Union Major General ; and cousin-in-law of Senators Henry Clay and James Brown , and Catherine Charlotte Bonaparte, illegitimate daughter of Emperor Napoleon's brother Joseph Bonaparte . He was the great-uncle of US Representative Maecenas Eason Benton ,
16884-448: Was elected as one of its first senators. The presidential election of 1824 was a four-way struggle between Jackson, John Quincy Adams , William H. Crawford , and Henry Clay . Benton supported Clay. Jackson received a plurality but not a majority of electoral votes, meaning that the election was thrown to the House of Representatives , which would choose among the top three candidates. Clay
17018-499: Was inaugurated so he could accept appointment as Jackson's secretary of state. In the cabinet, Van Buren was a key Jackson advisor and built the organizational structure for the coalescing Democratic Party. He ultimately resigned to help resolve the Petticoat affair and briefly served as ambassador to Great Britain. At Jackson's behest, the 1832 Democratic National Convention nominated Van Buren for vice president, and he took office after
17152-700: Was instrumental in the sole administration of the Oregon Territory . Since the Anglo-American Convention of 1818 , Oregon had been jointly occupied by both the United States and the United Kingdom . Benton pushed for a settlement on Oregon and the Canada–US border favorable to the United States. The current border at the 49th parallel set by the Oregon Treaty in 1846 was his choice; he was opposed to
17286-533: Was named for the senator, as were the towns of Benton & Bentonville, Arkansas , Benton Harbor, Michigan , Benton, Maine , Benton, Kentucky , Benton, Tennessee , and Benton, Illinois . Additionally, the fur trading post and now community of Fort Benton, Montana , for which bentonite is named, was named after Benton. In July 2018, the president of Oregon State University , Ed Ray , announced that three campus buildings would be renamed due to their namesakes' racism. One of these buildings, formerly known as
17420-449: Was nearly shot by pistol-wielding Mississippi Senator Henry S. Foote , who had taken umbrage to Benton's vitriolic sparring with Vice-President Millard Fillmore . Foote was wrestled to the floor, where he was disarmed. In 1851, Benton was denied a sixth term by the Missouri legislature; the polarization of the slavery issue made it impossible for a moderate and Unionist to hold that state's senatorial seat. In 1852 he successfully ran for
17554-576: Was present at the USS Princeton explosion when a cannon misfired on the deck while giving a tour of the Potomac River . The incident killed at least seven people, including United States Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur and United States Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Gilmer , and wounded over twenty. Benton was one of the injured, but his injury was not serious and he did not miss one day from
17688-505: Was the fourth vote-getter, though he won the election in Missouri. He was also Speaker of the House, and tried to maneuver the election in favor of Adams. Benton refused Clay's requests that he support Adams, declaring that Jackson was the clear choice of the people. (Benton had no official role in this dispute, as he was not a Representative.) When Missouri's lone Representative John Scott told Benton he intended to vote for Adams, Benton urged him not to. "The vote which you intend thus to give
17822-546: Was the territorial expansion of the United States to meet its "manifest destiny" as a continental power. He originally considered the natural border of the U.S. to be the Rocky Mountains but expanded his view to encompass the Pacific coast. He considered unsettled land to be insecure and tirelessly worked for settlement. His efforts against soft money were mostly to discourage land speculation, and thus encourage settlement. Benton
17956-648: Was the third. Van Buren received a basic education at the village schoolhouse, and briefly studied Latin at the Kinderhook Academy and at Washington Seminary in Claverack . Van Buren was raised speaking primarily Dutch and learned English while attending school; he is the only president of the United States whose first language was not English. Also during his childhood, Van Buren learned at his father's inn how to interact with people from varied ethnic, income, and societal groups, which he used to his advantage as
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