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James Buchanan 15th President 1857-1861 One Term Nickname: “Old Buck” Democrat Born: April 23, 1791 Cove Gap Pennsylvania Died: June 1, 1868 near Lancaster Pennsylvania Vice President: John C. Breckinridge

I would give James Buchanan an F. He had many chances to try and fix the country but he carelessly set it to the side. He didn’t do anything to really benefit America and we probably would have been better without him. His Administration didn’t do much to help either. His goals included repudiating the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty and establishing the United States control over Central America and Cuba. Both goals they failed miserably at doing. Unfortunately for Buchanan, his last year and a half of Presidency was dominated by the Republican’s leaving no hope of ratification of the treaty. His relationship with congress can only be assumed to be satisfactory, considering they gave him 60 more electoral votes and he had served in it for a number of years. The Judicial Branch had good connections with the President considering how much safer they felt to make the decision of the Dred Scott case like they did, two days after he was inaugurated. He changed his cabinet so the Democrats where the majority in hopes to restore the unity of his party, which only proves to be a bust in the next election. There wasn’t anything that Buchanan did that had the most positive outcome, because he just seemed to sit around watching the nation tear it’s self apart. He also always took the south’s side which didn’t give much help and it definitely didn’t benefit anyone. His most negative outcome was probably supporting the Lecompton Constitution, though it didn’t go through, it doomed his and Stephan A. Douglas’s careers. The Support also may have given Kansas the idea that it was okay to forget the people’s voices. The Lecompton Constitution problem affected both Douglas’s and Buchanan’s careers. Even though it may not have been as big a deal to Buchanan it could have greatly affected the outcome of the 1860 election between Douglas, Lincoln, and Bell. If Lincoln hadn’t become President, the south might be the Confederacy or the Civil war may have never happened. The list could go on and on. Buchanan is still an F in my book he did nothing to help the country and at some points he could have hurt the country. We would have been much better without him the only thing Buchanan does is hold the seat for Lincoln until he decides to run in 1860.

American President: James Buchanan Biography of James Buchanan American Presidents: Life Portraits James Buchanan: Biography from Answers.com The America Pageant, David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, Thomas A. Bailey