15th President: James Buchanan (1857-1861) Political Party: Democratic James Buchanan was born into a wealthy Pennsylvania family in in 1791. He graduated from Dickinson College and quickly gained a reputation as a gifted debater and practitioner of law. He was elected five times to the House of Representatives, served as ambassador to Russia, and later served for a decade in the Senate. His service abroad helped to shield him from the bitter politics of the slavery question, and he was nominated by the Democrats in 1856. In doing so, the Democrats could not have chosen a more unqualified candidate. But for all his abilities, Buchanan was woefully ill-prepared for the political realities of the time. He failed to understand that the North would not accept constitutional arguments that favored the South, nor how the proliferation of sectional differences shifted the political parties and their doctrines. The Whigs were gone, the Democrats were split, and the Republican Party was quickly on the rise. He commenced his presidency with the fantastical notion that the nation need not worry; The Supreme Court was about to settle the slavery issue once and for all. To his utter astonishment, the Supreme Court delivered the Dred Scott decision, asserting that Congress possessed no power to deprive persons of their property rights (slaves) in the territories. This infuriated the North, but delighted the South. Further exacerbating the furor of territorial rights and determination, Buchanan urged that Kansas be admitted to the Union as a slave state. As such, this incensed the Republican Party and further alienated members of his own party. Consequently, Kansas remained a territory instead. Sectional rifts had become so onerous that in 1860 the Democratic Party split into northern and southern wings, each nominating its own candidate for President. When the Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln, it was a forgone conclusion that he would be elected, even though his name appeared on no southern ballots. Rather than capitulate to a Republican administration, the southern “fire-eaters” advocated secession. President Buchanan denied southern states the right to secede, but held that the Federal Government had no right to prevent them. Several of his southern Cabinet members resigned in protest, replacing them with northerners, further fueling the ire of southern sympathies. Buchanan reverted to a series of in-activities and incompetencies that continued until he left office in 1861, leaving the brewing firestorm that would eventually lead to an uncontrollable conflagration to his successor, Abraham Lincoln. James Buchanan died in 1868. Fact: James Buchanan was the only President who never married.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:20:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015