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.
Points of Interest: 1  Van Buren was the first president born in the United States. 2  His autobiography does not mention his wife once. 3  Van Buren took $100,000, the sum of his salary as president over four years, in a lump sum at the end of his term.  The term O.K. was popularized because of Van Buren.