Southern planters depended on federal power to expand and sustain the system of slavery. Although President Andrew Jackson disappointed slave owners on issues such as the tariff and states’ rights, he stood with them on the policies of Indian removal and independence for Texas. Jackson’s successor in the White House, Martin Van Buren, continued his predecessor’s Indian policies and his support for the Republic of Texas. But Van Buren faced a more well-organized opposition in the Whig Party, which formed in the 1830s, while Texas rebels faced powerful resistance from Mexican and Comanche forces. Then in 1837 a prolonged and severe economic panic gripped the nation, creating an opportunity for the Whigs to end Democratic control of the federal government.