Today, Martin Van Buren is an obscure man, often little more than a footnote. In pre-Civil War America, however, it was impossible not to have an opinion of him. Van Buren was central to the issues of his day: the creation of political parties, and the largest crisis of his time, slavery. The above quote is from Davy Crockett, one of many Americans trying to understand the Red Fox of Kinderhook.