Primary sourceDocument1821-1840

The Votes and Speeches of Martin Van Buren on Suffrage and Appointments

Martin Van Buren · 1821-1840

An official compiled record of Van Buren's votes and speeches on voting rights, including his role at the 1821 New York Constitutional Convention.

This document records Van Buren's own votes and speeches on suffrage from the 1821 New York Constitutional Convention.

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Dark olive-brown book cover with the call number 'E 387 .V22' in white at top left, and a white Library of Congress barcode label with the number 00005082250 at the bottom. — Martin Van Buren, The Votes and Speeches of Martin Van Buren on Suffrage and Appointments, 1821-1840. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is a compiled record of Martin Van Buren's votes and speeches on suffrage and appointments, including certified extracts from the Journal of the 1821 New York Constitutional Convention and reports of its debates. It also includes correspondence between G. W. Davis and New York's Secretary of State requesting these certified copies in 1840, during a presidential campaign.

Why it matters

This document shows how Van Buren's actual record as a delegate was gathered and used as campaign material, revealing how political opponents and supporters used official records to argue about a candidate's past positions on voting rights.

Look closer

Why might someone request certified copies of a politician's old votes during a campaign?
What does this document tell us about how officials documented debates in 1821?
What political motive might lie behind compiling and publishing this record in 1840?

This document 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.