September 12

"As to the Presidency, the two happiest days of my life were those of my entrance upon the office and my surrender of it."

Martin Van Buren, 8th President, 1837-1841-Attributed to Van Buren. From Kinderhook, New York, Van Buren was elected after serving as Vice-President under irrascible, yet popular, Andrew Jackson. Van Buren and the country did not fare well during his one term in office. Only three months after his election, the country entered a five year depression called the Panic of 1837. He continued Jackson's financial policies of opposing a national bank and declaring land had to be purchased by hard currency, which led to "runs" on the banks, with thousands of banks and businesses failing and people losing their lands. Another controversial continuation of Jacksonian policy was the 1838 expulsion of the Cherokee nation from the southeast to Oklahoma in 1838 in what is called "The Trail of Tears". In 1839, kidnapped Africans went on trial and were declared not guilty for their rebellion against and overtaking of the crew of the slave trade ship, Amistad, now memorialized in the movie of the same name. Opposed to slavery, Van Buren blocked the annexation of Texas, because it would lead to a larger area of the country where slavery would be allowed. Van Buren was defeated by William Henry Harrison, nicknamed "Old Tippecanoe." After Van Buren's term, political upheaval continued as Harrison died after only one month in office and John Tyler became the first Vice-President to ascend to the office of the Presidency with much uncertainy regarding his actual role and status.