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James Buchanan Born: April 23, 1791 in Cove Gap, PA Died: June 1, 1868 in Lancaster, PA Political Party: Democrat Term of Office: 1857-1861 Vice President: John C. Breckenridge (1857-1861)

James Buchanan should receive an F grade because he did not do anything to help our country. Also, many of the decisions he did make, like endorsing the pro-slavery constitution known as the Lecompton Constitution were disliked. He does not deserve any grade higher than an F because he did nothing to deserve a higher grade.

A goal Buchanan had going into the presidency was that individual states and territories should decide on their own the future of slavery within their borders, rather than having the federal government decide for them. In other words, Buchanan did not want the responsibility of deciding whether or not to abolish slavery, so he made the states decide. He somewhat succeeded because he did not have to make any big decisions regarding slavery during his term as president. Even during the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Buchanan did not make any executive decisions. This is why he succeeded in his goal. A goal Buchanan did not achieve was to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, which he had pledged in his oath of office. He did not achieve this goal because he divided the nation as well as the Democratic party.

James Buchanan had a poor relationship with Congress. Congress ignored some of the chief executive's plans such as the purchase of Cuba for 30 million dollars. Congress did not approve of Buchanan purchasing Cuba, especially because it was unclear whether or not Spain was willing to sell the island. Also, the poor relationship between Buchanan and Congress is shown through vetoes. Whenever Congress would propose a piece of Republican legislature, it would get vetoed by the Democrat Buchanan. An example would be the Homestead Act. The Homestead Act gave 160 acres of public land free to each settler after a period of five years. Buchanan stated that giving away free land was unfair to previous settlers and older states of the Union, and that the federal government had no constitutional power to do so. By vetoing bills and asking Congress to support him on things they disagreed with, Buchanan created a poor relationship.

The only good outcome of any actions Buchanan and his administration made was that the Civil War had not completely broken out during his term. Although he helped split the nation, he was able to keep war from breaking out during his term as president.

The action of Buchanan and his administration that had the most negative outcome was their support of the Lecompton Constitution. The Lecompton Constitution was a pro-slavery document. The people could vote either "with slavery" or "with no slavery" however, if they voted against slavery, the constitution would protect the owners of slaves already in Kansas. President Buchanan supported the Lecompton Constitution but Senator Douglas disagreed with it and fought against it. The compromise of this fight submitted the Lecompton Constitution to a popular vote where it was shot down. By throwing his support behind a pro-slavery constitution, Buchanan caused the division of the Democratic party from the Douglas Democrats in the North.

Buchanan and his actions during his term as president poorly influenced the lives of people in future generations. His lack of action on the issue of slavery affected the lives of the American people under Lincoln because the Civil War broke out and split families as well as killed many of the American people. Also, his division of the Democratic party influenced future generations because another Democratic president was not elected until Grover Cleveland in 1855. This long string of Republican presidents changed politics for those years, therefore influencing future generations.

In conclusion, the country was worse off at the end of James Buchanan's term of office that at the beginning. His inability to help improve the country and his inability to make any stands against slavery is what gives him an F grade. He was one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States and should not be given a higher grade he does not deserve.

Bibliography

//Haysville Community Library//. N.p., 23 Apr. 2009. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. .

//James Buchanan//. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. .

//American President: An Online Reference Resource//. N.p., 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. .