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 * James Buchanan**

Born: April 23, 1791 Cove Gap (Mercersburg, Pennsylvania) Death: June 1, 1868 Lancaster, Pennsylvania Political Party: Democrat Term: March 4, 1857-March 3, 1861 Vice President: John Cabell Breckinridge (1857-1861)

====Based on James Buchanan's accomplishments and success during his administration, he appropriately deserves a D. The successor to Franklin Pierce, Buchanan was the fifteenth president of the United States. Upon entering his presidency, Buchanan was handed down the //Dred Scott// decision. The Dred Scott court case stated that slaves were considered property and denied blacks the right to sue. Among the significant decisions and effects of Buchanan and his administration reside the Kansas Question, Panic of 1857, Secession of the southern states, and the admittance of three new states to the Union.====

====Buchanan was undoubtedly qualified for presidency considering he had an engaging career before taking office, involved in politics in the United States. He began practicing law in Lancaster, Pennsylvania before becoming a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1815-1816. He was also active as a U.S. Representative from 1821-1831, U.S. Minister to Russia from 1832-1833, U.S. Senator from 1834-1845, Secretary of State from 1845-1849, and Minister to Great Britain from 1853-1856.====

====During his term of office, the main goals of Buchanan's administration were to preserve, protect, and defend the U.S. Constitution. In his inaugural address he stated, "All agree that under the Constitution slavery in the States is beyond the reach of any human power except that of the respective States themselves wherein it exists. May we not, then, hope that the long agitation on this subject is approaching its end, and that the geographical parties to which it has given birth, so much dreaded by the Father of his Country, will speedily come extinct?" Contrastingly, he pursued policies that produced unquestionable damage.====

====The relationship of Buchanan with Congress was in Buchanan's favor from 1857-1859 benefiting from the majority party in both houses of Congress being the same, Democratic. However, from 1859-1861, the majority party differed in the House, resulting in relatively sour relations as he vetoed several pieces of Republican Legislation including the Homestead Act, which gave 160 acres of public land free to each settler after five years in the Northwest. He argued that it was unfair to previous settlers to give away free land, of which the federal government had no constitutional power to dispense, and the bill was particularly unfair to the older states of the Union. However, during his term, laws were passed by legislature including the Lecompton constitution in response to the Kansas Question. The Dred Scott case supported his view that slavery had its roots in the Constitution and could not be extinguished through legislature. Although personally opposed it, he favored the admission of Kansas as a slave state. The emerging Lecompton constitution called for the admission of Kansas as a slave state-in 1858 a referendum was held and the majority rejected the Lecompton constitution. Congress then ordered a second referendum, which produced the same result.====

====The action of Buchanan's administration with the most positive outcome was limited to taking federal action in order to relieve the victims of the Panic of 1857. It was Caused by the failure of the Ohio Life Insurance Company of Cincinnati in August 1857. Consequently caused a wave of bank runs across the nation and it plunged into economic depression, which lingered up to the Civil War. Central causes included the overexpansion of the railroads, expeditious growth of the operation on state banks under unsubstantial state banking laws, the end of the Crimean War in Europe, and the decrease in the price of gold in the prime of the California Gold Rush. The North and West were the hardest hit while the south endured it rather well, as the European demand for cotton continued.====

====The action of Buchanan's administration with the most negative outcome was the lack of action toward the secession of seven states from the Union. By the end his presidency, seven states-Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas-united in the formation of the Confederate States of America formed under President Davis.He saw the move as illegal, however, something that the government lacked the authority to force any state to remain in the Union. He was prepared to only take action as was required to protect federal property. He adopted a less angry approach toward the secessionists afraid that confrontation would predictably lead to Civil War. In his last annual message to Congress in 1860 he warned the South that secession was unconstitutional. Buchanan did not take an confrontational stance against the states that secede, rather attempted reconciliation without war. However, he left office with the United States on the brink of a Civil War.====

====One outcome of Buchanan's administration which influenced the lives of people in future generations is the secession of the seven southern states from the Union. When South Carolina first seceded, it left footprints for other states to follow. In response, Buchanan did virtually nothing in effort to stop it. Instead, he merely attempted reconciliation. The Civil War inevitably followed in the following years leading to destruction of the southern states and the Confederates and ultimately a victory for the Union.====

====Overwhelmingly, the United States was largely worse off at the end of Buchanan's term of office than at the beginning. His policies were a critical factor in the coming of the Civil War and events during his presidency left the trail leading to the war. Under Buchanan, very few positives for the United States resulted. His effort towards the seceding states was minimal to none, which definitely could have been approached differently, although it was a complicated situation. Therefore, Buchanan and his administration deserve a D.====