The basic definition of democracy in its purest form comes from the Greek language: The term means ârule by the people.â But democracy is defined in many ways â a fact that has caused much disagreement among those leading various democracies as to how best to run one.
President Martin Van Buren 8th President Martin Van Buren, a member of the Democratic Party, took office as the 8th President of the United States on March 4, 1837 at age 54. Van Buren served in office for 4 years and left when he lost reelection. He was born in Kinderhook, NY and received an education from Kinderhook Academy and Washington Seminary.
Unlike the seven men who preceded him in the White House, Martin Van Buren (1782-1862) was the first president to be born a citizen of the United States and not a British subject. He rose quickly in New York politics, winning a U.S. Senate seat in 1821 and presiding over a sophisticated state political organization.