Related Online Resources

Additional online information related to Martin Van Buren can be found on the following sections of the Library's website.

Exhibitions

The African American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History & Culture
This exhibition marked the publication of the first Library-wide resource guide to the Library's African-American collections, including books, photographs, music, film, and recorded sound. Included is a drawing of Joseph Cinquez, a kidnapped African from Sierra Leone, who led a revolt on the slave ship, Amistad. Resulting trials, including before the Supreme Court, pitted abolitionists against President Van Buren's administration.
The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship
This exhibition showcases the incomparable African American collections of the Library of Congress. The more than 240 items give a comprehensive, rich picture of more than 200 years of African American struggle and achievement. Included in the section, "Slavery---The Peculiar Institution", are several items documenting the case of the Amistad Mutiny which put President Van Buren's administration in conflict with former President John Quincy Adams who argued on behalf of the Africans before the Supreme Court.

Manuscript Division

The Manuscript Division provides the following resources to help navigate the Martin Van Buren Papers collection.

Prints & Photographs Division

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC)
Search PPOC using the subject heading "Van Buren, Martin,--1782-1862." to find digitized images related to Van Buren such as prints, photographs, and political cartoons. Search all text fields using the phrase Martin Van Buren to locate additional items.

The Prints & Photographs Division has created Image Lists on Popular Topics to provide quick access to items in their collections. Find images of Martin Van Buren on the following lists:

Pictorial Americana
The subject heading Presidential Campaigns includes images for the 1836, 1840, and 1848 races in which Martin Van Buren was a candidate.
Vice Presidents of the United States
Presidents of the United States
Also Rans: Losing Presidential Candidates of the United States

Research Guides

Martin Van Buren was one of only a few presidents to serve in different roles under several presidential administrations. His contributions as a senator from New York, secretary of state, vice president, and president can be found through the resources listed in the following research guides:

James Monroe: A Resource Guide
John Quincy Adams: A Resource Guide
Andrew Jackson: A Resource Guide
U.S. Presidential Inaugurations: A Resource Guide
This guide contains approximately 400 items relating to presidential inaugurations, including Martin Van Buren's inauguration in 1837.

Today in History

January 13
On January 13, 1833, President Andrew Jackson wrote Vice President Martin Van Buren expressing his opposition to South Carolina's defiance of federal authority.
March 9
The Supreme Court issued a ruling on March 9, 1841, freeing the remaining thirty-five survivors of the Amistad mutiny.
December 5
Martin Van Buren, eighth president of the United States and founder of the Democratic Party, was born on December 5, 1782 in Kinderhook, New York.

Martin Van Buren: A Resource Guide

History, Humanities & Social Sciences: Ask a Librarian