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James Buchanan Birth: April 23, 1791 Death: June 1, 1868 Political Party: Democratic Term: March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861 (1 term) Vice President: John C. Breckinridge

President Buchanan or “Old Buck” had a giant task to complete; he needed to avert a national crisis. One would think a President with a good education and career in politics could handle this. Buchanan graduated from Dickson University in 1809 and continued to study law. He then joined the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as a Federalist. Buchanan was then elected into the 17th and 21st United States Congress. Mr. Buchanan was then elected into the US Senate as a Democrat and was a member of the Committee of Foreign Relations. He finally served as Secretary of State under President James K. Polk. Buchanan’s involvement with politics and his many roles in the US government should have made him a good choice to be President, but because of his lack of engagement and forced separation between the North and the South, I would give him a D- for his Presidency.

President Buchanan did have many goals going into his presidency. Buchanan wanted to keep the country as a whole and bring the North and the South together. He also wanted a stronger government and economy for America. Buchanan wanted national peace throughout the country. He also wanted to make an effort to prevent any violence and push for consequences for those that promoted it. Buchanan also wanted to show the importance of each branch of the government and the Supreme Court as well. President Buchanan did not do a great job of accomplishing these goals.

Buchanan did not have the best relationship with congress. His thoughts and ideals never seemed to match up with what the congress wanted. This was because congress was mostly republican and it had different views then the president. President Buchanan tried his hardest to push his views and what he thought was best for the country. An example of this would be the Lecompton Constitution. Buchanan supported this and it would have admitted Kansas to the union as a slave state. Many people in Kansas were against this, but he got the bill passed through the House of Representatives. The Senate successfully stopped the bill, which at the time was lead by none other than Stephen Douglas. Stephen Douglas and James Buchanan had many differences during his time as president. Douglas had complete control over the Senate, which swayed many opinions in his favor. Douglas tried to take control of Buchanan and use it to his advantage. Buchanan never seemed to have a strong relationship with congress, nor did he ever apply himself to have one.

Buchanan did not have a major positive impact on the United States. All of Buchanan’s decisions and unproductiveness make it difficult to find a major positive impact that he brought to the country. A circumstance that happened to go in his favor as President was Kansas becoming a part of the union. But if it were not for Douglas changing the minds of the people of Kansas, the state would have never joined the union as a non-slave state.

The Panic of 1857 would have to be President Buchanan’s biggest failure during his time in office. The Panic of 1857 started with the failure of the Ohio Life Insurance Company. Many other problems came along with this. Problems with currency and money also caused confusion and conflict between the North and South. This in turn created the failure of many banks. Another problem would have to be the railroad system. It caused problems with transportation in the South. Buchanan had these problems placed at his feet, yet he did nothing in his power to fix any of these problems. Buchanan’s main flaw was that he tried to stay neutral and please everyone. This did not work in his favor, it just created more problems and made the divide between the North and the South extreme.

Buchanan left an interesting impression for the presidents that followed. Buchanan was a president that made plenty of mistakes, and hopefully those that would lead the country later learned from them. Many presidents that came after Buchanan learned that you could not please everyone, and you need to push for what you think is best for the country. It is better to do something rather than nothing at all. Buchanan left no positive impact on the United States, he just brought havoc. Presidents that followed tried to learn from Buchanan’s mistakes and do what is best for the country.

Overall, Buchanan’s Presidency was a wreck and the statement that he was the worst President in US history would have to be a correct. President Buchanan never bettered the country, all he did was further separate an already divided country. Buchanan deserves a grade of a D- because his failure to lead moved the nation into the beginnings of the Civil War. In general, he could have done much better during his presidency.

Bibliography: 1. Degregorio, William A. //The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents//. 3rd ed. Avenel: Wings Books, 1984. Print.  2. "American President: James Buchanan." __Miller Center of Public Affairs__. 22 Oct. 2009 <[]>.  3. "James Buchanan." //White House. Gov//. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. <[]>. 