Van Buren refused to put political ambitions above the country, even when some of his closest political advisers had urged him to start a foreign war as a way to divert the public's attention from the domestic economic difficulties. While he was successful in avoiding foreign wars, he did much more than just maintain the status quo on the domestic front. He stayed loyal to his Jeffersonian principles and his Adam Smith economic beliefs. He was able to reduce the power and the reach of central authority against strong opposition and helped guide the United States economy through one of its most severe depressions. Van Buren's principled course which he had charted left an enduring legacy. Van Buren's Democratic Party remained the political alliance