The Papers of Martin Van Buren project at Cumberland University recently published 347 new documents belonging to the eighth president.

The bulk of these newly published documents center on Van Buren’s early life and career in New York. They include legal documents, land deeds, and speeches and resolutions in favor of the War of 1812.

“The COVID-19 pandemic proved challenging to our work this past year, but historians and the general public now have the resources to better understand the years that shaped Van Buren’s later political development,” Project Director Mark Cheathem said.

The digital edition of the Van Buren papers will make approximately 13,000 documents written or sent to the eighth president accessible. Over 1,500 of these documents are now available at vanburenpapers.org.

The editorial staff was also able to make significant progress on completing the initial print volume of The Selected Papers of Martin Van Buren, which focuses on Van Buren’s life and career up to his first term in the U.S. Senate in 1821. According to Cheathem, an additional three volumes are projected to be published.

The Papers of Martin Van Buren project is sponsored by Cumberland University and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and is produced in partnership with the Center for Digital Editing at the University of Virginia.