Martin Van Buren—8th President of the United States—took office at a turbulent time for America's economy.
Image courtesy of American Memory at the Library of Congress.
Subject Areas
History and Social Studies
U.S. History - Civics and U.S. Government
U.S. History - Colonial America and the New Nation
Time Required
1: One 45-minute class period.
2: One 45-minute class period. Part of a second period may be needed for presentations if students work in small groups.
3 (optional): One 45-minute class period.
Skills
Using primary sources
Interpreting archival documents
Working collaboratively
Gathering, classifying and interpreting written and oral information
Making inferences and drawing conclusions
President Martin Van Buren inherited “the severe downturn in the American
economy that began in 1836.”
… [It] became Van Buren’s primary concern during his presidency.
Historians have identified three causes of the depression that wracked the
American economy during the late 1830s. First, English banks—responding
to financial troubles at home—stopped pumping money into the American
economy, an important reversal since those funds had financed much of the
nation’s economic growth over the preceding two decades. Second, U.S.
banks, which had overextended credit to their clients, began to call in loans
after British banks cut their money supply. Third, President Andrew Jackson’s
“hard” money policies, especially the 1836 Specie Circular that
aimed to stabilize what Jacksonians saw as an out-of-control economy by requiring
that all purchases of federal land be made with precious metal (i.e. “hard”
money) rather than paper (“soft”) money, only exacerbated the
credit crunch.
— From Van
Buren’s Domestic Affairs
in EDSITEment resource The American
President
In this lesson, students will analyze period political cartoons as they study
the causes of the economic downturn, Van Buren’s response as president,
and the reaction to his measures.
Guiding Questions
What were the causes of the Panic of 1837 and the economic downturn that
lasted from 1836 to 1843?
How was criticism of Van Buren an extension of criticism of Andrew Jackson,
his predecessor?
What effect did the downturn have on working Americans?
How did Van Buren respond to the economic downturn? Why did he respond
in that way? How effective was his response?
To what extent did party politics affect Van Buren’s response to
the Panic of 1837? In turn, how did Van Buren’s policies affect party
politics?
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
List the principal causes of the Panic of 1837.
Discuss President Van Buren’s response to the Panic of 1837 and its
aftermath. What did he do? Why did he respond as he did? What were the results
of his policies?
Reflect on the use of archival political cartoons in the study of history.
Analyze cartoons about the Panic of 1837. What important issues can be identified
through the cartoons? In what ways did bias or the passage of time affect
the use of the cartoons?
Preparing to Teach This Lesson
Review the lesson plan. Locate and bookmark suggested materials and other
useful websites. Download and print out documents you will use and duplicate
copies as necessary for student viewing.
Prepare copies of the cartoons from HarpWeek
(listed below), but without the explanations provided. Students will be shown
the explanation after they have learned about the period and analyzed the
cartoons on their own.
It should be noted that some elements in early archival cartoons have become
obscure over time. Even so, such cartoons can be a rich source for classroom
discussion.
One can better understand Martin Van Buren’s response to the Panic
of 1837 with some appreciation of the Democrats and Whigs and the rivalry
between these two major parties in this period sometimes called “The
Second American Two-Party System.” Lesson 3 offers a brief, optional
look at the parties and their rivalry, especially as reflected in the election
campaign of 1840, which took into account the reaction to Van Buren’s
response to the Panic of 1837. Classes that have studied the rivalry between
the parties may not need Lesson 3. Information about the positions of the
parties is also found in Lesson 1 and 2.
Throughout this unit, students will read and analyze a variety of primary
documents. The following materials from EDSITEment resources may be useful
to teachers seeking expert advice on the use of primary documents:
Analysis
of Primary Sources on The Library of Congress, a link from American
Memory
This succinct but valuable lesson offers three basic steps for analyzing
primary sources:
1. Background on the Issues and the Interpretation
of Political Cartoons
1. Ask the students to think about how historians interpret and learn from
primary source material such as political cartoons. In guiding the students
through this preliminary activity, you might need to offer a few clues. They
should, for example, consider:
The subject selected
The particular message about that subject
Artistic style and how that contributes to the message
Use of specific images and/or caricatures
The simplicity or complexity of the cartoon
The “tone” of the drawing
The anticipated audience
You might also ask students to think about the difference between a visual
and a “verbal” document and, in particular, what advantages the
visual has over the “verbal.” In what ways does the visual have
an advantage over the “verbal” from the historian’s point
of view?
Use one or more of the following cartoons in a whole class lesson or assign
one cartoon to each of as many as six small groups. All of the cartoons are
thought to be from 1837 except “Sober Second Thoughts,” which is
probably from 1838.
For now, ask each group to scan its cartoon quickly to list the historical
events, people, and terms one would need to understand to interpret the cartoon.
Note that each of the chosen cartoons has a different focus, although there
is overlap in information. Tell the students that they will return to an analysis
of these same cartoons after reading secondary material on related historical
events and working with relevant cartoons.
When the groups have made their lists, compile a comprehensive class list.
2. Provide background for the class on events during President Jackson’s
second term that continued to be important during Van Buren’s term in
office. Share a secondary account such as The
Celebrated Bank War from the EDSITEment resource Digital
History.
3. In the whole-class setting, model the interpretation of primary sources
using either or both of the following:
Suggested discussion questions for the primary sources:
What important individuals and events are mentioned in the primary
sources?
What reasons do those against the bank give for their opposition?
What reasons do those for the bank give for their support?
What criticisms of President Jackson’s veto of the re-charter
of the bank bill and other policies do his opponents offer?
What arguments in favor of President Jackson’s actions do his
supporters offer?
To what extent was Jackson’s handling of the bank influenced
by party politics? Explain and provide evidence for your position.
2. The Panic of 1837 in Political Cartoons
1. Share with the class a secondary account of the Panic of 1837 and President
Van Buren, such as the section “Economic Panic of 1837” in Martin
Van Buren: Domestic Affairs from the EDSITEment resource The
American President.
2. Return to the cartoons about the Panic of 1837 with the whole class or small
groups. Using the Cartoon
Analysis Worksheet from Digital
Classroom in conjunction with this
interactive tool, the whole class or each group should prepare an analysis
of the cartoon(s).
Each group should briefly share its cartoon with the class. Once the students
have discussed the cartoons using the background provided and their own interpretations,
distribute to each group the explanation of the cartoon provided by Harp
Week.
Guided Discussion Questions
Suggested whole group discussion questions for the cartoons:
What important individuals, terms, and/or events are prominently mentioned
in the cartoons? Which of these were mentioned in the secondary accounts?
Which items still seem in need of further research to aid in understanding
the cartoon?
What reasons do those against Van Buren’s policies give for their
opposition?
What reasons do those in favor of Van Buren’s policies give for their
support?
What “propaganda techniques” are used in the cartoons?
What factors that also contributed to the downturn in the American economy
and the Panic of 1837 are ignored in the cartoons?
Why did the artists focus on certain factors and ignore others when drawing
their cartoons?
What kind of information can a historian learn from a cartoon that is/may
not be apparent in traditional written sources? Of what importance are visual
materials to the study and understanding of history?
And when the content discussion is through, do some self-evaluation on the
process:
These questions may be raised with the class as well
What was the process of interpreting the cartoon like for the students?
What elements of any of the cartoons are still obscure? Is it possible to
learn from the cartoons without understanding those elements?
3. (optional): A Primer on Party Politics in Jacksonian America
Van Buren inherited the conditions that caused America’s first great depression,
The Panic of 1837. According to the article Martin
Van Buren: Domestic Affairs from the EDSITEment resource The
American President, “The question for the new president was how—and
whether—to respond. Van Buren followed a course of action consistent with
his Jacksonian belief in the limited powers of the federal government and a
suspicion of paper money and easy credit.” The belief that the federal
government should only do that which is specifically enumerated in the Constitution
can be traced back to Thomas Jefferson.
All communities are apt to look to Government for too much. Even in our
own country, where its powers and duties are so strictly limited, we are prone
to do so, especially at periods of sudden embarrassment and distress. But
this ought not to be. The framers of our excellent constitution, and the people
who approved it with calm and sagacious deliberation, acted at the time on
a sounder principle. They wisely judged that the less Government interferes
with private pursuits, the better for the general prosperity. It is not its
legitimate object to make men rich, or to repair, by direct grants of money
or legislation in favor of particular pursuits, losses not incurred in the
public service. This would be substantially to use the property of some for
the benefit of others. But its real duty—that duty the performance of
which makes a good Government the most precious of human blessings—is
to enact and enforce a system of general laws commensurate with, but not exceeding,
the objects of its establishment, and to leave every citizen and every interest
to reap, under its benign protection, the rewards of virtue, industry, and
prudence.
Van Buren’s political convictions prevented him from offering direct
help to citizens and business interests in need. Rather, he initiated steps
to reform government monetary policy, discussed in Activity 2.
The bitter rivalry between the two major parties guaranteed opposition from
the Whigs to almost anything Van Buren proposed. Any changes the president made
to Andrew Jackson’s policies (such as Van Buren’s proposal for a
sub-treasury system) guaranteed opposition from members of his own party, the
Democrats.
The 1840 election is sometimes characterized as solely about image. That element
of the campaign is borne out in the song Little
Vanny (from Getting the Message
Out). Click on the title to access the lyrics and a recording of the music.
Work with the class in analyzing the song. What image of Harrison is being conveyed?
What image of Van Buren?
But issues were important in 1840 in the rivalry between the parties. Van Buren’s
Jacksonian views were at the core of his response to the Panic of 1837. Share
with the class the lyrics to the Currency
Song (also from Getting the Message
Out, though no music is available unfortunately). What issues are mentioned
in the song that relate to the Panic of 1837 and Van Buren’s response
to it?
You might ask students a few general questions about songs as sources, particularly
at a time in history when forms of mass communication were far fewer than they
are now and not every one could read and/or afford a newspaper. One of the things
you might help students understand with these questions is how tunes/songs have
a tendency to replay in one’s thought until the ideas are imbedded.
4. The following electoral maps from EDSITEment resource Digital History [http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/]
demonstrate the rivalry between the parties and the change to national alliances.
Note the change in dominance from Jackson’s landslide victory in 1832
to Harrison’s landslide in 1840. Which states swung from the Democrats
to the Whigs between 1836 and 1840? Students can think about this information
further by asking:
Why did these states shift their allegiance from one party to the other?
Which states remained loyal to a given party? Why?
What factors, including but not limited to the economy, would have been
important to voters in the 1830s?
In 1844 James Polk won back the presidency for the Democrats. In 1848, Zachary
Taylor, a Whig, became president. In other words, there was fierce competition
between these two parties.
Assessment:
Give individuals or small groups the cartoon Treasury
Note from the EDSITEment resource Harp
Week. Ask them to take a stand—with support—that the cartoon
does or does not support the policies of Van Buren. You may want to divide the
class in half and assign the halves opposing positions to defend in a class
debate.
Extending the Lesson:
More information on President Van Buren (including images, a link to the
Van Buren papers site, and a bibliography) is available from EDSITEment resource
The American President in
its section on Martin
Van Buren.
A convention for marking that part of the boundary between the United
States and the Republic of Texas which extends from the mouth of the Sabine
to the Red River was concluded and signed at this city on the 25th of
April last. It has since been ratified by both Governments, and seasonable
measures will be taken to carry it into effect on the part of the United
States.
The application of that Republic for admission into this Union, made
in August 1837, and which was declined for reasons already made known
to you, has been formally withdrawn, as will appear from the accompanying
copy of the note of the minister plenipotentiary of Texas, which was presented
to the Secretary of State on the occasion of the exchange of the ratifications
of the convention above mentioned.
Interested students can research the history of Texas during the period including
Van Buren’s changing position on its statehood.
Another important issue during Van Buren’s term in office
was U.S. relations with Native Americans. According to EDSITEment resource
The American President:
The Van Buren administration also proved particularly hostile to Native
Americans. Federal policy under Jackson had sought, through the Indian Removal
Act of 1830, to move all Indian peoples to lands west of the Mississippi
River. Continuing this policy, Van Buren supported further removals after
his election in 1836. The federal government supervised the removal of the
Cherokee people in 1838, a forced stagger west to the Mississippi in which
a full quarter of the Cherokee nation died.
Some Native Americans resisted the removal policy violently, however.
In Florida, the Seminole people fought upwards of 5,000 American troops,
and even the death of the charismatic Seminole leader Chief Osceola in 1838
failed to quell the resistance. Fighting continued into the 1840s and brought
death to thousands of Native Americans. The protracted nature of the conflict
had deleterious political consequences too. The Whigs, as well as a small
number of Americans who believed the removal campaign inhumane, criticized
the Van Buren administration’s conduct of the war.
A good place to begin research is through the search engine of the EDSITEment-reviewed
Native Web. Search for a term such as
“Trail of Tears.”
In 1839, 49 enslaved Africans aboard the ship Amistad
freed themselves from their chains and revolted, taking over the ship. Eventually,
their case was argued in the Supreme Court. The EDSITEment resource Exploring
Amistad offers a detailed look into the incident. It describes President
Van Buren’s role as follows:
Van Buren was not in Washington when the Amistad affair broke;
he was campaigning in upstate New York. His cabinet therefore formulated
the administration's initial response: meeting in mid-September, they took
Forsyth's lead and arranged for federal authorities to support Spanish demands
that the "slaves" be returned to Cuba to face trial as murderers
and pirates. Van Buren soon returned to the capital, but he seems to have
paid little attention to the matter, letting Forsyth continue to handle
the situation. The president did not replace any judges in the case. But
he did put federal attorneys on the case and he did sign off on an effort
to have the Africans shipped immediately to Cuba if the court found for
the administration, before any appeals could be filed. In sum, Van Buren
wanted this problem to go away, cleanly and quietly. From his point of view,
this was not only a potential diplomatic crisis with Spain, but more fundamentally
a slave revolt—a dangerous provocation to southerners already unsettled
by the rise of northern abolitionism.
Van Buren earned the nickname "The Little Magician” because of
his height and his political shrewdness. According to the EDSITEment resource
The American President, “between
1817 and 1821 he put together a political machine beyond anything that had
ever existed in the United States.” Then, “in 1827, with a new
presidential election approaching, Van Buren placed his powerful political
machinery behind the candidacy of Andrew Jackson.” Students can research
Van Buren’s role in the creation of an unprecedented political machine
in New York and the organization of the Democratic Party.
Ask students to research the connection between our word “okay”
and Martin Van Buren.
Martin
Van Buren: The Little Magician
[http://www.americanpresident.org/history/martinvanburen/biography/
resources/Articles/KunhardtVanBurenBio.article.shtml]
Sober
Second Thoughts
[http://loc.harpweek.com/LCPoliticalCartoons/IndexDisplayCartoonMedium.asp
?SourceIndex=Topics&IndexText=Panic+of+1837&UniqueID=42&Year=1838]
The
Times
[http://loc.harpweek.com/LCPoliticalCartoons/IndexDisplayCartoonMedium.asp
?SourceIndex=Topics&IndexText=Panic+of+1837&UniqueID=37&Year=1837]
Uncle
Sam Sick with LaGrippe
[http://loc.harpweek.com/LCPoliticalCartoons/IndexDisplayCartoonMedium.asp
?SourceIndex=Topics&IndexText=Panic+of+1837&UniqueID=41&Year=1837]
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