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 James Buchanan Date of Birth: April 23, 1791 Died: June 1, 1868 Political Party: Democrat Vice President: John C. Breckinridge   After reading and assessing James Buchanan’s term served as president I would give him the grade of a C. I would give Buchanan the grade of a C- because he did little about the Confederacy and reuniting the Confederacy with the Union. Also, he did little about the Dred Scott Supreme Court Decision and Kansas and slavery. Although Buchanan did prevent another battle from breaking out with Britain he did more about foreign affairs then affairs taking place within his own country.   Buchanan’s focus was on mainly the Caribbean more than it was on England or his very own America. Buchanan’s goal was to annex Cuba and to gain control of Central America. But, the British had the same plans. Buchanan used naval forces to warn the British along the coasts of Central America forcing the British to back down, discerning that the United States was determined to assert its authority.   Buchanan had a rocky relationship with Congress. He was hated by many Republican, mostly in the North, and not trusted by many in the South. He objected to slavery on moral grounds, but believed that it was protected by the Constitution. Also, his decision to accept the Lecompton constitution made him more unpopular than what he already was and his lack of support for Stephen A. Douglas split the Democratic in half only added to his unpopularity. His decisions made about slavery and his lack of response to the secession crisis made Buchanan’s relationship with Congress a very weak and rocky one.   Buchanan’s decision to use force to assert the United States authority in Central America was a very wise decision of Buchanan. Britain and the United States both wanted power in Central America and a battle between the two forces was sure to break out. But, Buchanan decided that it was time for the United States to show the authority they held in the northern hemisphere. Buchanan sent U.S. Naval forces down to Central America to assert our authority, by doing so the British backed down in result. Although this was a good decision made by Buchanan he made some very unpopular decisions as well. Buchanan’s lack of response to the secession crisis made him very unpopular. Many thought that the South should be reunited with the Union again, but Buchanan paid barely any attention to this rather large issue. Instead, Buchanan paid more attention to the slavery issue stating that decisions about slavery were constitutional, when they clearly weren’t, the Dred Scott Supreme Court Case for example.   Buchanan’s decision to assert America’s force in Central America was very influential to future presidents. This action that Buchanan took was influential because it set an example to other, future presidents that you can assert authority without starting war, it also showed that sometimes using a little force is a good thing but it also showed that one must know how much force is too much. When Buchanan asserted his country’s authority to Britain, causing them to back down, he also asserted it to his own country, showing them that America was equally as powerful as their former, European relatives. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> I believe that the country was neither better off or worse after Buchanan’s term as president. It seemed as though he made a couple of wise decisions under the topic of foreign affairs, but his lack of interest in the major issues facing his own country outshined his accomplishments abroad. By the end of his term the country was still divided and in turmoil, this being the reason that I gave James Buchanan the grade of a C- for his term as president. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Works Cited <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">"James Buchanan". Miller Center of Public Affairs. March 17, 2010 <http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/buchanan>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">"James Buchanan". Online Highways LLC. March 17, 2010 []. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> "James Buchanan". The White House. March 17, 2010 <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/jamesbuchanan>.