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 * James Buchanan**
 * Born: April 23, 1791**
 * Death: June 1, 1868**
 * Term: 1857-1861**
 * Vice President: John C. Breckinridge**
 * Political Party: Democrat**
 * Grade: D**
 * Theme: The American Identity:**
 * Americans are more than just who live here and the work they perform. Americans are the voices and opinions that need to be heard and put forth in the decision making process of the country’s government. During Buchanan’s presidency this didn’t happen. The country at this time was about to enter a war. The country’s people as a whole were not as interested in showing talents and trying to find solutions to problems, they were more concerned with fighting and gaining control over political, economical, status.**
 * Analysis:**
 * Any man who claims to have wanted to be president for years, finally get his dream and then blame others and not work hardly at all should deserve a D for his actions. James Buchanan was the type of person who wants something so badly but when the job gets slightly tough he quits. This is exactly what James Buchanan did during his presidency. He was sworn into office at a time when the country was divided and he couldn’t handle the intense pressure of being a leader. The whole idea of the American Identity was sort of left behind during the years of 1857 to 1861, when Buchanan was in office.**
 * Buchanan applied to be the president three separate times before finally being elected in 1857. Buchanan went into office clearly knowing what he was getting into and what was expected of him. He did however, have the goal of trying to please his political party. Buchanan was a Democrat who felt that Congress and the Constitution did not give him the right to force anything upon the people of the country. The south was where Buchanan ended up getting nearly all of his support. The south approved of Buchanan mainly because of his view on slavery. Buchanan thought that slavery should be managed by individual affairs and territorial states opinions. Not of political involvement. This did not go over well with the north, who believed that slavery should cease spreading to the west and that all of the states to the west should become free states. Buchanan wanted the country to be better off once he got into office, but the mistake he made was simply just hoping for a better country to just happen on its own. He wished that the country would just work things out itself. But, the nation looked to him for guidance and leadership. They hoped that Buchanan would be the one to end the conflicts and crisis with slavery. However, Buchanan did nothing of the sort.**


 * Having been a member of the Senate for ten years, being an ambassador, and having a spot in the cabinet, one would think that Buchanan would have excellent relations with Congress. That is not the case. The Democrats may have been the majority in Congress at the time, but they were even inflicted with some of the choices and decisions that Buchanan was making. During his presidency, Buchanan had particular difficulties with one of his fellow Democrats Stephen Douglas. Douglas argued that Buchanan should have not enforced a proslavery constitution in Kansas just to gain support from the south. He stated that Buchanan should care for all of the country not focus all of his attention on pleasing the south. After the huge outburst in Kansas with John Brown, Buchanan was even more eager to gain any support where he could.**
 * Being the oblivious president that he is, Buchanan didn’t fully understand the more detailed predicaments involving slavery between the north and the south. Many of the decisions that he made were for either his own personal benefit, or to gratify the southerners. So the south obviously got the only positive outcome of Buchanan’s presidency which was Buchanan’s opinion on slavery. He was able to make the south satisfied by going along with the south’s idea of pushing slavery westward. Buchanan did favor the south and barely paid any attention to the northern states. This then leads to the several negative outcomes of his presidency. Although Buchanan made numerous mistakes, there was one factor that soon led the country into a panic and into the bloodiest of all wars in the United States. Overall, Buchanan’s personality and the way that he handled difficult situations were what really made his presidency do no good for the country. "Before many years the abolitionists will bring war upon this land", Buchanan said this with hidden meaning. He never really took any charge or control over the country or its people. On too many occasions did Buchanan let a hugely important issue just brush over his shoulder and not give a second thought about it. The nation was in no better place after Buchanan left office in 1861. The American Identity seemed to almost be crushed under the outbreak of the Civil War, and Buchanan didn’t help to prepare the country by any means for what was ahead.**
 * The only way that Buchanan effected future administrations was for the next several presidents to do a much better job than what he did. He seemed to set a very low bar for how a president should run his country. After Buchanan’s presidency America was in worse shape than it had been in before he was sworn into office. What America had become was a state of panic, rage, and aggravation. The country’s identity had more or less fallen apart. Future president learned from Buchanan’s mistakes and careless efforts.**
 * To conclude, a D is a grade that reflects the effort and outcome that president James Buchanan had on the country. This is an accurate grade because all throughout his presidency Buchanan didn’t seem to try to resolve any political or economical issues that were brought up in the country. He only ever favored and wanted to please the south, and knew that there would be a war coming soon and didn’t do anything to help prevent it. America at this point had only the identity of rage and confusion. The country would have been better off without Buchanan’s presidency and that is why he deserves a D for being the president of the United States.**
 * Works Cited:**
 * History.com. "James Buchanan — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts." //History.com — History Made Every Day — American & World History//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011.**
 * [|__http://www.history.com/topics/james-buchanan__].**
 * [|__http://www.history.com/topics/james-buchanan__].**


 * Millercenter. "American President: James Buchanan." //Millercenter//. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. .**
 * The White House. "James Buchanan | The White House." //The White House//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents**