AHA president-elect Lonnie Bunch (Smithsonian Inst.) authored an essay for In Pursuit about Martin Van Buren’s legacy as an originator of the Democratic Party who “contributed mightily” to the creation of the US’s two-party system. Writing about this president remembered more for his nicknames than his accomplishments, Bunch explains how Van Buren turned to coalition politics to bolster his own career and, he hoped, prevent the splintering of a nation increasingly divided by issues like slavery and tariffs.
