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James Buchanan Born: April 23 1791 Died: June 1 1868 Democratic Party Term of office: 1857-1861 (one term) Vice President: John Cabell Breckinridge 1857-1861 (1 term)

The Antebellum Era in the United States displayed an apparent downfall of the country. Political and moral issues such as slavery could not be settled. One could imagine how difficult it would be to govern the people of the country during such a time, which is what James Buchanan was forced to do during his term of office of 1857-1861. Buchanan and his administration's performance during this troubled time would deserve a D for failing to take action.

Among Buchanan's goals as president was to halt sectional antagonism. To enforce this he encouraged citizens to push the issue of slavery back. He considered slavery as an agitation that should be suppressed. In his inaugural address, Buchanan stated, "May we not, then, hope that the long agitation [slavery] on this subject is approaching its end". Buchanan's goals at the time he became president would be the hardest time to accomplish them. The slavery issue was hotter than ever and the south was willing to fight over it. There was really no way Buchanan could have accomplished his goals of stopping secional antagonism.

The best thing Buchanan did during his term was stay neutral between the north and the south. Buchanan proceeded with caution when the southern states suceeded. He knew it was unconstitutional but did not want to take action to provoke a civil war. He always stayed true to the constitution. For example, Buchanan knew slavery was morally wrong and was totally against it, however he believed that states had the right to own slaves according to the constitution. If Buchanan were to chose north or south, results could be disastrous.

Buchanan's biggest mistake was his response to the fight in Kansas. With the "opportunity" of popular sovereignty under the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, Americans in Kansas had the right to vote if Kansas was to become a free or slave state. Buchanan supported Kansas as a slave state. He approved of the Lecompton constitution that Pro-Slavery forces drafted. Opposing to Buchanan, Stephen Douglas led opposition to the Lecompton constitution because it did not allow the people of Kansas to vote for it. A referendum was held in 1858 and the Lecompton constitution was denied. Buchanan still pushed for a second referendum, but only to have the same results. Eventually the opponents to slavery gained power and in 1861 Kansas was admitted as a free state. This was Buchanan's worst mistake because he approved of a corrupt constitution. Buchanan continued to push the Lecompton constitution, no matter how much it was rejected. In the end, Buchanan's efforts to make Kansas a slave state were to go to waste when it was accepted as a slave state in 1861.

While Southern States were suceeded, Buchanan stuck to his character and had no reaction. This was Buchanan's decision that had the most effect. If Buchanan was to be more like "Old Hickory" than "Old Buck" and stop the succeeding states with force, the war would have started earlier. His army of fifteen thousand men would be scattered across the West, controlling the Indians when they would be needed to fight the Civil War. If the North were to attack the South first, it would appear as the aggressor and lose Border States to the Confederation. Buchanan hoped for the best and waited for reconciliation. This was vital to long-term American history because if Buchanan was to provoke a premature war, the results of the conflict could be entirely different.

Buchanan's actions during his term of 1857-1861 deserve a D. Buchanan was held back because he could not make a decision or take action. However, if he did things could have gotten ugly. Times were hard and sectionalism was already at its high so it would be difficult for any man to be a president of this divided nation. Although Buchanan did not take action, his absence of activity might have benefited our country.

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Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. //The American Pageant: a History of the Republic//. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print.