Van Buren, the incumbent vice president and chosen successor of President Andrew Jackson , took office after defeating multiple Whig Party candidates in the presidential election. A member of the Democratic Party , Van Buren's presidency ended following his defeat by Whig candidate William Henry Harrison in the presidential election. The central issue facing President Van Buren was the Panic of , a sustained economic downturn that began just weeks into his presidency. Van Buren opposed any direct federal government intervention and cut back federal spending to maintain a balanced budget.
He also presided over the establishment of the independent treasury system, a series of government vaults that replaced banks as the repository of federal funds. Van Buren continued the Indian removal policies of the Jackson administration, as thousands of Native Americans were resettled west of the Mississippi River during his presidency.
He sought to avoid major tensions over slavery , rejecting the possibility of annexing Texas and appealing the case of United States v. The Amistad to the Supreme Court. In foreign affairs, Van Buren avoided war with Britain despite several incidents, including the bloodless Aroostook War and the Caroline Affair. Van Buren's inability to deal effectively with the economic depression, combined with the growing political strength of the opposition Whigs, led to his defeat in the presidential election.
His four-year presidency was marked as much by failure and criticism as by success and popular acclaim. Historical rankings of presidents of the United States place his presidency as below-average. His most lasting achievement was as a political organizer who built the modern Democratic Party and guided it to dominance in the new Second Party System.
Van Buren had emerged as President Andrew Jackson 's preferred successor during the Petticoat affair , and Van Buren won election as vice president in Though most Southern Democrats favored Rives, Jackson preferred Johnson, and his influence helped lead to Johnson's nomination for the vice presidency.
