Note to teachers: This activity is a comparison and contrast of Presidents
Martin Van Buren and Andrew
Jackson. C-SPAN’s biographical vignettes and web pages for both men may be used as resources.
Before Viewing American Presidents
Part 1
Introduce students to Martin Van Buren. Draw a time line on the board
with the Revolutionary War on one end, and the Civil War on the other.
Tell students Martin Van Buren’s life roughly spanned that time period.
He was born in 1782 and died in 1862. How did the country change during
that time period?
Part 2
Make predictions about the ways Martin Van Buren’s life was different from
the early presidents. Prompt students with some information and
questions:
- Martin Van Buren was the first president to be born a United States
citizen. List experiences unique to presidents before him.
- Martin Van Buren was from New York state. What regional differences in the United States
were forming during this time period?
- The country was growing in size and economic power. How did that affect politics?
Part 3
Point out to students the relationship between Andrew Jackson and Martin Van
Buren. Martin Van Buren served as Andrew Jackson’s vice-president
and became Jackson’s hand-picked successor for president.
Ask students: When a president picks a vice-president, what personal
qualities should he look for? political qualities?
What would you expect Jackson and Van Buren to have in common? How can
it be useful for the president and vice-president to have contrasting
personalities or experience?
While Viewing American Presidents
Directions: Use the following chart to note information about Martin Van Buren and Andrew Jackson. Note especially information that highlights their similarities and differences.
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Martin Van Buren |
Andrew Jackson |
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Home state |
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First exposure
to politics
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First job(s)
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Positions held in
the state government
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Positions held in
the
United States
federal government
|
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Political party
|
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Relationship
with
the public
|
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Personal qualities
|
|
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Political skills
|
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First lady
|
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Children
|
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Major events
during
presidency
|
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Attitude toward
the office
|
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Reason for
leaving
office
|
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Public life
after presidency
|
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Private life
after presidency
|
|
|
After Viewing American Presidents
Have students write two paragraphs, one that highlights the differences
between Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, and one that highlights the similarities.
Discuss the following questions to help students apply what they have
learned:
- In what ways did Andrew Jackson’s personal qualities contribute to his success
as president?
- In what ways did Martin Van Buren’s personal qualities contribute to his success
as president?
What drew them together? What set them apart? Could Martin Van Buren have been
elected without Andrew Jackson? What assets did Martin Van Buren bring to Andrew Jackson?
Make predictions about the personality and politics of
William Henry Harrison, the president who beat Van Buren in his run for re-election.
Finally, reconsider the following question, making connections to modern presidents and vice-presidents:
When a president picks a vice-president, what qualities should he look for?
Additional Activities
1. Have students complete additional research to discover how Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren met and became political allies.
2. Write a position paper to either the Republican National Committee or the Democratic National Committee, or another political party explaining your findings, as a historian, on one of the following two topics: "Choosing a vice-presidential candidate" or "What a popular president should look for in his hand-picked successor."
3. The biographical vignette points out that Martin Van Buren was exposed to politics at an early age because his father’s tavern was located in a town on a main road to Albany. Visit the
C-SPAN's
American Presidents web site to learn more about Kinderhook, Van Buren’s
hometown.
Using the American Presidents
web site, locate and view a map of New York,
showing both Kinderhook and Albany. How far was the distance between the
two towns? How did people travel between the two towns when Van Buren was a
child? How long would a trip between these two cities take? How would the journey be different today?
