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**James Buchanan, Jr.** Born: April 23, 1791 in Cove Gap (Mercersburg), Pennsylvania Died: July 1, 1868 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Political Party: Democratic Term of Office: March 4, 1857- March 3, 1861 Vice President: John Breckinridge (1857- 1861)

James Buchanan tried to reach the White House three times, and on the fourth try, he succeeded. Buchanan was determined to be ranked amongst the greats, and the peoples' initial opinion of him was promising- Buchanan boasted one of the most diverse and experienced political careers before his presidency. By the end of his term however, it is universally concluded that the Buchanan administration was a failure. Buchanan's term is only associated with negative events. Thus, “Old Buck” deserves a grade of an “F” for his leadership; his handling of the Kansas dilemma, the Panic of 1857, and especially the dividing Union, was abysmal.

The election campaigns of 1856 called for an eminent figure to guide the feuding Union. Buchanan won the presidency partly because of his clean slate- he was not involved in any recent North vs. South conflicts. Hence, Buchanan's goal was to keep the peace. Although very capable, Buchanan barely exercised a steadfastness needed for the time. He had anti-slavery views but often sided with his mostly Southern, Democratic party. Buchanan's endorsement of Kansas' entry into the Union as a slave state (after fraud, murder, and corruption angered the Northerners) is one of his worst decisions. Another bad decision would be his “wait and see” mindset during the Panic of 1857. Doing nothing, Buchanan gained the distrust of his people and further pushed the country into a conflict. And of course, Buchanan's image is forever marred by his incompetence in letting the Union crumble. Buchanan's exit from the White House signals the start of the Civil War, and so he failed to accomplish his only objective.

During Buchanan's presidency, Congress was mainly split up into the Republicans and Democrats, but the trials the Kansas-Nebraska Act and a small war caused the Democrats to split into a Northern and Southern faction. Buchanan's actions reveal an inclination towards the Southern Democratic ideals, but regardless, Buchanan was not popular with any party and was especially disliked by the Republicans. The Democratic North and the Republicans had a majority in Congress, but Buchanan was sympathetic to the South, so numerous bills were vetoed. An example would be his vetoing of the Homestead Act, which made public lands available at a cheap 25 cents per acre. Southerners did not want more settlers who were usually anti-slavery taking more land and they greatly influenced Buchanan. Therefore, Congress interactions with Buchanan often ended in a deadlock.

Quite frankly, Buchanan's administration left no positive effects. The only //arguable// “positive” effect could be that the status of slavery was now up for contesting. Even though the Civil War was not initially labeled as an abolitionist's war, one could feel that after the end, slavery in the United States would still exist or it wouldn't (legally, at least). Still, men- both black and white- would have to die in a battle for their way of life.

On the other hand, it is obvious that the Buchanan administration was plagued by horrible decisions. Buchanan was too pedantic and did not take the necessary measures not granted by the Constitution. He believed that secession of the Southern states was illegal, but, again, felt that the federal government did not have the needed authority to forcibly make a state remain in the Union. And so Buchanan did nothing as the Union fell apart. In the tension-filled lame duck period, the Confederate States had time to organize their governments and prepare for the looming conflict while the elected Abraham Lincoln had to watch as seven states seceded by the start of his presidency. These events would lead up to the devastating Civil War, in which hundreds of thousands of men would perish. Buchanan's inactivity during the crucial secession times made the war longer and more deadly than what it needed it to be. The eventual deaths are therefore partially the result of //his// (impotent) hands.

Upcoming generations would greatly feel the aftereffects of Buchanan's negligence. In his inauguration speech, Buchanan voiced that slavery is an abominable institution, but then showed his pedanticism by acquiescing and advocating a popular sovereignty approach- another attempt to shove slavery aside. This was not the necessary policy to calm the erupting country. Buchanan's most negatively influential actions can be seen in his final year of presidency. South Carolina was the first to secede from the Union, and Buchanan did nothing but miserably plead to keep the Union intact. Therefore, Buchanan's final days before the end of his term were the calm before the storm. The storm, the Civil War, would then proceed to decimate the American life for years to come; it would become one of America's- and history's- greatest conflicts. An entire Antebellum South would collapse, and the blood of brothers would be spilled.

As can be seen, America was left in an awful position after Buchanan's term. The pitiable state of the Union was the consequence of Buchanan's indecisiveness and passiveness. Under his leadership, the United States made no headway in legislation or resolutions with the volatile South; it was as if there wasn't a leader at all! The Constitution may have been the highest man-made law, but a better president would have known to be more courageous and act accordingly towards the seceding states. To be fair, a presidency at that time would have been very difficult, but Buchanan did not put in an effort at all and therefore deserves an “F”. The patheticness of James Buchanan's leadership and the chaos that enveloped the United States is prevalent in Buchanan's quote to Abraham Lincoln: “My dear sir, if you are as happy on entering the White House as I on leaving, you are a very happy man indeed.”

__Bibliography__ "American President: John Adams." // Miller Center of Public Affairs //. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 March. 2011. . DeGregorio, William A.. // The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents //. New York: Dembner Books, 1984. Print. Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. // The American pageant: a history of the Republic //. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Print. "U.S. Senate: Party Division." // U.S. Senate //. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 March. 2011. <[]>