James Buchanan: A Legacy of Failure | 5-Minute Videos

James Buchanan should have been prepared to be president he had served as a congressman a senator a Cabinet member and an ambassador he certainly wanted the job he sought the office four times but when he finally achieved his ambition in 1856 and became the 15th president of the United States his impressive resume did him little good when he left office in 1861 the country was on the brink of Civil War James Buchanan was born in a log cabin on April 23 1791 in Cove Gap Pennsylvania his irish-born father James senior lived the classic early 19th century immigrant story he worked hard lived frugally and prospered he and his american-born wife Elizabeth had great Ambitions for their son James Jr and with the exception of a few stumbles like getting kicked out of college for drunkenness he didn't disappoint them pursuing a legal career young James moved to Lancaster Pennsylvania where he took a strong interest in local Affairs elected to congress in 1820 is a Federalist he switched his allegiance to the newly formed Democratic party in 1824 becoming a devoted follower of Andrew Jackson he supported states rights a strict reading of the Constitution and was sympathetic to Southern interests including of course slavery Northerners with such inclinations were known by their political opponents as doe faces men who were overly deferential to Southern grievances Buchanan was more than happy to return the insult he despised Northern abolitionists who he believed threatened the stability of the union with their extremist views in 1844 he took his first run at the Democratic presidential nomination he lost a former Tennessee governor James Polk in 1848 he lost to Michigan senator Lewis Cass in 1852 he lost yet again this time to New Hampshire's Franklin Pierce in 1856 the Stars finally aligned Buchanan won the Democratic nomination and then the presidency by defeating legendary Explorer and abolitionist John Fremont of the newly formed anti-slavery Republican Party if Buchanan is known for anything it's that he was the only bachelor to become president all the rumors you might have heard about a sexual orientation were common fodder even in his day but there is no convincing evidence that the rumors were true when Buchanan took office the country was a Tinderbox ready to explode over the issue of slavery Kansas for example had become a Battleground between Pro and anti-slavery forces the two sides were literally fighting and dying over control of the state's government Buchanan thought he had a way to extinguish the fire his hopes rested on the outcome of a highly anticipated Supreme Court case Dred Scott V Sanford the dispute came down to this question did a former slave have standing to sue in federal court Buchanan actually knew the answer the court would give before the decision was publicly announced indeed he had secretly pressured the court to rule in the way he wanted slaves had no standing to sue in federal court that would have been bad enough but chief justice Roger B Tony who wrote the majority opinion went much further he denied that blacks even those already free could ever be citizens of the United States but it didn't stop there Tawny also ruled that the federal government had no right to restrict the spread of slavery to Abraham Lincoln and others this meant that slavery would no longer be confined to a particular region of the country but would become a National Institution Buchanan assumed now that the court had made its decision the matter was closed but this was wishful thinking in the extreme instead of resolving the slavery issue Dred Scott only inflamed it then in 1859 the match was lit radical abolitionist John Brown LED an unsuccessful slave revolt in Harpers Ferry Virginia while many in the north hailed Brown is a hero and a martyr the South regarded him as a dangerous terrorist Southerners were now convinced that Northerners were plotting their destruction meanwhile Buchanan was caught in no man's land both sides of his own Democratic party the pro-unionist and pro-secessionist saw him as weak and ineffectual he did nothing to disprove that view although he declared secession unconstitutional he likewise believed that he had no authority to force the states to remain in the Union exhausted he had no trouble keeping his promise not to run for a second term even so the worst of his sins was yet to come Buchanan did almost nothing between November 1860 in March 1861 five impossibly long months before the newly elected Republican President Abraham Lincoln took office the southern states left the union one by one seizing Federal property as they went forts custom houses post offices and armories in short Buchanan allowed the South to arm itself for war that war would come soon enough I'm Joseph fournieri professor of political science at the Rochester Institute of Technology and director of the Center for statesmanship Law and liberty for Prager University thank you for watching this 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