Mitchell+K.+-+JB+-+FA12


 * Name**: James Buchanan
 * Birth/Death**: April 23, 1791-June 1, 1868
 * Political Party**: Democrat
 * Date of Term**: March 4, 1857-March 3, 1861
 * Vice President**: John Cabell Breckinridge

During the administration of James Buchanan, the divisions over slavery were becoming frightfully deep. The abolitionists in the North were becoming progressively vulgar and agressive towards the morality and the necessity of slavery. During this period, Kansas was a battleground in which blood was shed in the name of popular sovereignty. The economic panic of 1857 did nothing but make the North more irritable, since they were affected more from it. FInally, in 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union at the very end of Buchanan's term, marking the beginning of the end of slavery in the United States of America.
 * Thematic Context**: Slavery

James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States, was one of the worst presidents ever, so naturally he deserves a letter grade of an F for effort. While he did not do much to negatively impact the United States, he did not do much of anything at all, preferring inactivity over trying to solve problems, even if it meant spawning more problems.
 * Thesis**:

James Buchanan's main goal of his presidency was to uphold slavery. While he morally believed it to be wrong, he also felt he had an obligation as president to uphold the constitutionality of the institution. In a sense, this was achieved in that slavery still existed after his term, but at the cost of the cohesion of the Union.
 * Goals**:

James Buchanan did not have much of an influence over Congress and vice versa. Buchanan was divided on many important subjects such as slavery and westward expansion. This means that his party could did not have his support if they were biased on one of these issues. Other than that, he was indifferent on education, as proved by his veto of a bill to promote the creation of more universities. He also despised free trade and tariffs, and said that they would benefit one section to the losses of the other.
 * Congress**:

The most helpful decision made by Buchanan was his attempt to solve the Kansas question. This was a feeble attempt where he meant well but ended up making the sections hate each other more. The forced march of the Lecompton Constitution through Congress by Buchanan allowed for resent on the side of the North.
 * Positive Decision**:

The worst decision James Buchanan made during his presidency was to promise to the South not to reinforce Fort Sumter after the secession. This decision led to one of the majors in the army to unknowingly send troops to the fort. The South viewed it as hostility and the Civil War began. This mistake also deepened the rift between the North and the South. The North critiqued Buchanan for a lack of hostility during the event.
 * Negative Decision**:

James Buchanan had a minute impact on future presidencies due to his inactivity. It was during his administration that the Union was divided and he could have made many attempts to hold it together. One example is that he could have had a more equal view of slavery and considered how one-sided he was on the subject. This poor administration was one of those mistakes where one tries to forget about and therefore did not have much of an impact on any future presidencies.
 * Impact**:

The United States of America was, without a doubt, worse off at the end of Buchanan's presidency. The Southern States had seceded and the country was in turmoil. All of this chaos was a result of indifference and inactivity and led to many issues that festered until the controversy became so foul, the opposing sides abruptly split. It is for this reason that James Buchanan left the White House with an F and the title of one of the worst presidencies in history.
 * Conclusion**:


 * Bibliography**:

DeGregorio, William A.. //The complete book of U.S. presidents//. New York: Dembner Books :, 1984. Print.

rnes. "James Buchanan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. .