"Some historians say that to focus on the personality of a famous figure is to neglect the context in which he/she lived. My argument is that personality provides a way to attract students to history because it allows them to make a personal connection to the past." - Joe Illick
Martin VanBuren 1837-1841
Jackson stepped down of his own volition
And annointed his successor, the Little Magician:
Martin VanBuren, a genius in politics
But uncharismatic -- with people he didn’t mix.
Elected, he faced the first fiscal panic;
Alas, he seemed not a money mechanic.
The Whigs rose to fight him, accused him of knavery,
Though he honestly fought the extension of slavery.
Defeated in ‘40, he ran eight years later
On the Free-Soil ticket -- to the South he wouldn’t cater.
And annointed his successor, the Little Magician:
Martin VanBuren, a genius in politics
But uncharismatic -- with people he didn’t mix.
Elected, he faced the first fiscal panic;
Alas, he seemed not a money mechanic.
The Whigs rose to fight him, accused him of knavery,
Though he honestly fought the extension of slavery.
Defeated in ‘40, he ran eight years later
On the Free-Soil ticket -- to the South he wouldn’t cater.