Martin Van Buren: The American
Presidents Series: The 8th President,
1837-1841 by Ted Widmer
Excellent Overview Of Martin Van Buren And His Times
The first president born after Americas independence ushers in a new era
of no-holds-barred democracy
The first professional politician to become president, the slick and dandyish
Martin Van Buren was to all appearances the opposite of his predecessor,
the rugged general and Democratic champion Andrew Jackson. Van
Buren, a native Dutch speaker, was Americas first ethnic president as well
as the first New Yorker to hold the office, at a time when Manhattan was
bursting with new arrivals. A sharp and adroit political operator, he
established himself as a powerhouse in New York, becoming a U.S.
senator, secretary of state, and vice president under Jackson, whose

election he managed. His ascendancy to the Oval Office was virtually a
foregone conclusion.
Once he had the reins of power, however, Van Buren found the road quite
a bit rougher. His attempts to find a middle ground on the most pressing
issues of his day-such as the growing regional conflict over slavery-eroded
his effectiveness. But it was his inability to prevent the great banking panic
of 1837, and the ensuing depression, that all but ensured his fall from
grace and made him the third president to be denied a second term. His
many years of outfoxing his opponents finally caught up with him.
Ted Widmer, a veteran of the Clinton White House, vividly brings to life the
chaos and contention that plagued Van Burens presidency-and ultimately
offered an early lesson in the power of democracy.
Personal Review: Martin Van Buren: The American Presidents
Series: The 8th President, 1837-1841 by Ted Widmer
This is an excellent book - period.
I read dozens of presidential biographies per year, most of which are well
over 500 pages. I like the long detailed biographies and do not generally
like ones that are too short. I usually find them uninteresting and hurried.
This is a short biography; however, I really enjoyed. I found the writing
style refreshing and, I believe, Widmer did an excellent job of hitting on the
most important points about Van Buren and the Jacksonian period.
Because Widmer is writing to the non-historian, he does a great job of
explaining things that may be confusing or unfamiliar to the reader. He
provides just enough information to explain it, tell why it is significant, and
to make it interesting.
I believe that this is exactly what the historian and editor of the series,
Arthur Schlesinger, had in mind when he started "The American Presidents
series" - a short biography that explains 1) who the president was, 2) what
were the times like when they served, and 3) why were they important to
history. In these objectives, Ted Widmer succeeded beautifully and I
strongly recommend this book as a starting point for Martin Van Buren, the
Jacksonian Period, and the founding of the Democratic party.
I give Widmer and his book five stars because I think it did a masterful job
of fulfilling its purpose - giving the reader an enjoyable introduction to an
important person in history.

By the way, each of the books in this series has the same long intro from
Arthur Schlesinger. It explains the importance of the presidents and the
purpose for the series. If you, like one of the other reviewers does not like
it, just skip it. Consider it an added bonus if you chose to read it.
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