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Date of Birth: April 23, 1791 Date of Death: June 1, 1868 Political Party: Democratic Terms of Office: March 4, 1857- March 3, 1861 Vice President: John Cabell Breckinridge

Buchanan is considered one of the worst presidents in history. His involvement in domestic affairs- or lack of involvement- sent the country one step further down the path of civil war. I would give Buchanan a D+ for his single term as president because of his downfall in domestic affairs but some small successes in foreign policy.

Buchanan’s domestic goals involved the Union and slavery. The country was already suffering great turmoil over the slavery issue when Buchanan took over. His first and foremost goal was the preserve the Union. He obviously failed horribly at this goal since seven southern states had seceded from the Union by the end of his presidency. Buchanan knew that slavery was morally wrong, but he supported the south because he did not think he possessed the power to overrule the Constitution, which allowed slavery. A strong supporter of Manifest Destiny, Buchanan also wanted to extend American influence to the south. This he did successfully through his warning to Britain to keep away from the land.

Buchanan often found himself disagreeing with Congress. When he was elected, the Republican party was just starting out. However, Republican strength grew at an enormous rate. By the end of his presidency, the House managed a Republican majority, though the Senate remained mostly Democratic. When Buchanan supported the admission of Kansas as a slave state through the Lecompton Constitution, Senator Douglas sharply disagreed. Eventually, the Constitution was rejected and Kansas was admitted as a free state. When Buchanan wanted to go to war with Mexico, Congress was distracted by John Brown’s attack at Harpers Ferry and did not provide support or funding for the war. Buchanan also vetoed several Congress bills.

Though Buchanan left domestic affairs in the United States a mess, he had some success with foreign affairs. Buchanan was protective of Central America. When British showed interest in the area, Buchanan sent ships to warn Britain to stay away and to protect American sovereignty. The British in effect backed down from their expansion. He also successfully received compensation from Mexico, Costa Rica, and Colombia for damages to American property. Buchanan managed to strengthen American influence over southern nations.

By far, Buchanan’s worst action as president was in fact taking no action. After Lincoln was elected president in 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union, followed by six other states. Buchanan, in his lame duck period, took no action against the secession. Though he believed secession to be illegal, he claimed that the government did not have the power to force states to remain. He ignored the issue at hand and handed the problem off to Lincoln instead.

Buchanan’s decision to disregard the secession certainly affected the Americans and future presidents. By allowing the Confederacy to form in peace, he gave Confederates more time to prepare for war. Though his intentions in not intervening with secession were to prevent a civil war, an outright punishment for the seceded states may have further benefited the country. Instead, the Confederacy had more time to gather men, supplies, and leaders to fight against the North. This in return made the Confederacy stronger, making the war longer and bloodier. If Buchanan had acted on the secession, the country may have been able to avoid war altogether.

In conclusion, Buchanan deserves a D+ for his presidency. Though he had a few foreign successes, his utter failure at domestic policy drastically drops his grade. The country was now divided and much closer to Civil War than it was before Buchanan became president. Lincoln, Buchanan’s successor, was left with quite the political mess to clean up.

Works Cited:

"American President: James Buchanan." Miller Center of Public Affairs. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. .

DeGregorio, William A. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. Fort L ee, N.J: Barricade, 2005.