James Buchanan (1791 1868) James Buchanan, a Democrat, was America s 15 th President. He held office from 1857 1861. He was born on April 23, 1791, in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania. He was the second of eleven children. He is the only President who never married. Buchanan was born into a wealthy Pennsylvania family. He graduated from Dickinson College. He was a successful and popular politician. He was elected to five terms in the House of Representatives. After serving as Minister to Russia, he spent another ten years in the Senate. He was Secretary of State under Polk and Minister to Great Britain under Pierce. Buchanan hoped to be a great President, but historians generally consider him one of the worst, if not the worst, Presidents ever to serve. The nation was rapidly dividing over the slavery issue, and Buchanan failed to understand the full extent of the problem. Buchanan tried to solve the problem by dividing his appointments equally between candidates from northern and southern states. He thought the people would accept rulings by the Supreme Court on constitutional issues, such as slavery, as the final word. When, shortly after Buchanan was inaugurated, the Supreme Court issued the Dred Scott decision, ruling that slaves were property, he thought the problem was solved. Southerners were happy with the ruling, but Northerners were upset. Buchanan tried to admit the territory of Kansas as a slave state. All he managed to do was anger Republicans as well as members of his own party. The Lecompton Constitution, which would have legalized slavery in Kansas, was voted down by Kansans and it eventually became a free state. Tensions between slave states and free states continued to rise. Tensions between North and South became so strong that the Democratic Party split into two parts. Each part nominated its own presidential candidate. This virtually assured victory for Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate. Rather than accept an antislavery Republican administration, southern states voted to secede from the Union. President Buchanan s reaction to this was weak and slow. He hoped for compromise, but none was forthcoming. Seven states left the union before the end of his presidency. Ultimately, it fell to his successor to deal with the worst crisis the nation had ever faced.
Choose the best answer for each question. 1. Which of the following would be a good title for this text? a. James Buchanan, Bachelor President b. James Buchanan, The President Who Failed to Prevent the Civil War c. James Buchanan, Pro-Slavery President d. James Buchanan, Successful Politician 2. Buchanan studied at which university? a. Harvard University b. Yale University c. Princeton University d. Dickinson College 3. How many terms did Buchanan serve as Congressman? a. Three b. Four c. Five d. Six 4. Buchanan served as Minister to which countries? a. Mexico and Canada b. Great Britain and Russia c. Ireland and France d. Spain and Italy 5. What did the Dred Scott Decision say? a. Slavery is illegal b. Slaves can vote c. Slaves are property d. Kansas must ban slavery 6. What did Buchanan fail to prevent? a. The secession of seven southern states b. The War of 1812 c. The Revolutionary War d. The Marshal Plan
Answer these questions in complete sentences. 1. Why is Buchanan considered one of the worst presidents ever? 2. What did Buchanan fail to understand? 3. What issue divided the nation during Buchanan s presidency? 4. Why did the Democratic Party split in two? 5. Why were many people unhappy over the Dred Scott decision?
Answer this question using information from the text and your own experience, research, understanding, etc. James Buchanan was an experienced and popular politician who hoped to be one of America s greatest presidents ever. Instead, he is considered one of the worst. What went wrong? What could he have done differently to prevent the Civil War? Do you think it is a fair assessment of his presidency? Why or why not?
ANSWERS MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. b 2. d 3. c 4. b 5. c 6. a SHORT ANSWER Answers will vary. Accept reasonable responses that include the ideas below. 1. He failed to prevent the secession of seven southern states, and the ensuing Civil War. 2. The full extent of the political problems caused by the split over slavery. 3. Primarily the slavery issue. 4. The Democratic Party was divided over the slavery issue. 5. With the Dred Scott Decision, the Supreme Court ruled that slaves were property. Many people disagreed with this, and continued to oppose slavery. ESSAY Answers will vary.