About State of the Union History

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1839 Martin Van Buren - Prevention, Prudence, and Economy

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In 1838, President Van Buren forcefully cautioned Congress in 1839 against rising debt, insisting that both the United States and the wider ...

1839 Martin Van Buren - Van Buren and the Fate of Isle Royale

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If you’ve ever hiked Isle Royale and thought, “This feels like Canada,” you’re not wrong — the island sits just 15 miles from the Canadian ...

1838 Martin Van Buren - The Post Office and the Mandamus Case

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  By 1830, Martin Van Buren was serving as vice president under Andrew Jackson . The country was changing fast: canals and railroads were c...

1838 Martin Van Buren - Trimming the Mail: Postal Service Cutbacks of 1838

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In 1838, the U.S. Post Office Department found itself in a tight financial spot. With expenses outpacing revenue by over $417,000—a deficit ...

1838 Martin Van Buren - America's Steam-powered Legacy

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Robert Fulton, the American engineer and inventor often credited with launching the age of the steamboat, never lived to see just how far hi...

1838 Martin Van Buren - The Cooley Massacre (Justifying the Seminole War)

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In the wake of violent attacks like the Cooley and Gwinn family massacres, President Martin Van Buren framed the Second Seminole War as a ne...

1838 Martin Van Buren - Van Buren Defends Indian Removal

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  “very true; them are Injuns are tarnal tough, to be sure; take more killin, by George, than half a dozen wile-cats.” - from short story ...