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James Buchanan Born: April 23, 1791 Died: June 1, 1868 Political Party: Democrat Term in Office: March 4, 1857 - March 4, 1861 Vice President: John C. Breckinridge

The overall grade that James Buchanan deserves is a D+. After reading about Buchanan he really did not do a lot of great things for the United States, in most aspects of his presidency he made things worse for the country. He caused the political parties to divide and he really did not do anything very beneficial for the country. Buchanan’s goal as President was to annex Cuba and he also wanted control of Central America. Britain also had the same goal as Buchanan. Britain wanted to take control of Central America as well. Buchanan used the navy to scare off Britain. He used the naval force to keep Britain from gaining control of Central America. Buchanan did not have the best relationship with congress. The Democratic Party split into two. They split into Northern and Southern wings. The each elected their own candidate for presidency. The Republicans were for antislavery which is not what Buchanan wanted. Buchanan and congress did not have the greatest relationship throughout his term. A positive aspect of James Buchanan’s presidency is him taking control of Central America. Buchanan asserted the United States power when he used the navy to scare away the British. A negative aspect of Buchanan’s presidency is the Dred Scott supreme court decision. Buchanan influenced this case. Buchanan told the people that the Supreme Court was going to make their decision and they should obey the ruling of the Supreme Court. The court ruled that Dred Scott was not recognized as a U.S. citizen. They also stated that Scott was a property and that he has no rights. The Supreme Court also ruled that slavery could not be banned from the new states or territories. This caused abolitionist to be enraged and it caused the political system to be divided. Buchanan and his administration influenced future presidents to assert their power. When Buchanan used the navy to scare off Britain from gaining control of Central America. It taught the future presidents to stand up for what they want and to take it. The country after James Buchanan’s presidency was worse off. He caused the political parties to divide. He also showed favoritism to slavery. This upset abolitionists and people who disliked the idea of slavery in the country. He also did not have a good relationship with congress which caused it to be unstable. Although Buchanan did make a good decision when he took scared Britain away from taking control of Central America. Sources: [] []