Customer Reviews

MARTIN VAN BUREN: LAW, POLITICS, AND THE SHAPING OF REPUBLICAN IDEOLOGY

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I felt that this book was very well researched, informative and interesting. It, however, left me wanting more. The book stops short of not only Van Buren's presidency, but his vice presidency under Andrew Jackson as well. Furthermore, Van Buren's ex-presidency was long, eventful and unfortunately also neglected by this book.

This is history at its most dry. This book does what it says it will do, discuss Van Buren's background as an attorney and its influence on him. Unfortunately, I think only an attorney would find this interesting, as it reads like I would expect a law book would read. Not for the average reader hoping to learn about this president.

This account of the political thought of Martin Van Buren is odd to say the least. Old Kinderhook is usually remembered for the Albany Regency and the birth of a distinctly American political operation. However, in this dry study of Van Buren's legal background and how it shaped his thinking, Jerome Mushkat and Joseph Rayback argue that he had a more coherent set of political beliefs than he is usually given credit for. It's an interesting argument and an interesting counter to MVB's image as a slick master wirepuller whose political magic failed him when he ended up in the White House. It certainly explains his political career in the 1840s and even the odd political odyssey of his son John. Still, Mushkat and Rayback did not really touch on MVB'S presidency or the aftermath. This book has a limited appeal but it does make some interesting arguments and makes me see MVB in a little bit of a different light.