Primary sourceSpeechMarch 1826

Speech of Mr. Van Buren on the Mission to Panama

Martin Van Buren · March 1826

Van Buren's own Senate speech from March 1826 opposing or discussing the U.S. mission to the Congress of Panama and the Monroe Doctrine.

This is Van Buren's own Senate speech on U.S. relations with Latin America, delivered before his presidency.

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Brown marbled book cover with a white label reading F 1568 v13 x, and spine text reading Van Buren. Speech. and F1568 v13 x. The image shows the binding of a book, not its title page or text. — Martin Van Buren, Speech of Mr. Van Buren on the Mission to Panama, March 1826.

About this source

What it is

This is the printed text of a speech given by Martin Van Buren in the United States Senate in March 1826, during the 19th Congress, concerning the American mission to the Congress of Panama.

Why it matters

This speech shows Van Buren's position, as a senator, on a major foreign policy question of the 1820s: whether the United States should send representatives to a meeting of Latin American nations, and how this connected to the Monroe Doctrine. It reveals his thinking on U.S. relations with Latin America years before he became president.

Look closer

Why might a senator object to or support sending a mission to Panama in 1826?
What does this speech reveal about U.S. attitudes toward Latin America at the time?
How might Van Buren's view here connect to decisions he made later as president?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Martin Van Buren on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.