today we're looking at president james buchanan
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james buchanan was the 15th president of the united states from 1857 to 1861 and was a member
of the democratic party buchanan's presidency directly preceded the civil war and unfortunately
his policies and actions as president many argue greatly contributed to the war beginning many
historians and scholars have ranked him as one of the worst presidents in u.s history buchanan
was born april 23 1791 in cove gap pennsylvania he was the second oldest of 11 children born to
james buchanan senior and elizabeth speer his father was a successful merchant and his mother
elizabeth ensured that their children received a good education buchanan attended dickinson
college in carlisle pennsylvania and graduated in 1809 after graduation he moved to lancaster
pennsylvania which would truly be his lifelong home where he became an apprentice in a law office
and by 1812 had become a lawyer himself when the british invaded maryland in 1814 during the war
of 1812 he quickly volunteered to serve in the pennsylvania militia but never saw any action
in combat shortly after he began his political career as he was elected to the pennsylvania house
of representatives in 1814 as a federalist over the next few years buchanan continued to serve in
the state government and at the same time built up a very successful law practice in lancaster
in 1820 he was elected to the united states house of representatives where he would
serve for the next 10 years during this time the federalist party was fading away as the country
was experiencing the era of good feelings buchanan began to avidly support andrew jackson after the
election of 1824 he was instrumental in gathering support for jackson and forming the new democratic
party after jackson was elected president in 1828 buchanan was appointed u.s ambassador to russia
in 1834 he was elected to the united states senate where he was in office until 1845. during his time
in congress buchanan consistently supported states rights and argued that the major issue of the day
slavery was a state matter and not something for the federal government to interfere in
he was a strong advocate for manifest destiny and expanding the united states west from 1845
to 1849 he served as secretary of state under president james k poke and was a strong supporter
of going to war with mexico and annexing more territory to the united states
in 1853 under president franklin pierce he was appointed ambassador to the united kingdom
as the election of 1856 approached it was clear current president franklin pierce had fallen out
of favor after signing the kansas-nebraska act into law which had led to problems in kansas
at the 1856 democratic national convention held in cincinnati ohio
buchanan won the nomination to run for president beating out franklin pierce and stephen douglas
buchanan was seen as a candidate that appealed to both north and south as he was from the north yet
agreed with states rights john c breckinridge of kentucky was chosen to be buchanan's vice
presidential running mate in the general election buchanan faced republican john c fremont and
former president millard fillmore running for the american party or no-nothing party buchanan
easily won the electoral college with 174 votes and received 45 percent of the popular vote on
march 4 1857 he was sworn in as the 15th president of the united states and at the outset of his term
he said he would only serve one term in office now you may have noticed i i never mentioned
buchanan marrying or having children actually he is the only us president who never got married
his niece harriet rebecca lane johnston served as first lady and hosted events at the white house
as president on the pressing issue of the day the expansion of slavery into new territories buchanan
declared support for popular sovereignty or allowing settlers in new territories to decide if
slavery would expand there as he was inaugurated the u.s supreme court was about to decide the dred
scott case which buchanan felt would settle the issue once and for all when the court decided to
defend slavery it only served to create greater division between the north and the south when
violence erupted in bleeding kansas buchanan supported allowing kansas to enter the union
as a slave state but it would remain in territory until 1861. as the nation began to clearly break
apart and buchanan's own democratic party split into northern and southern factions buchanan took
little action when states began to threaten to secede from the union buchanan said there was
little the u.s government could do to stop them president buchanan kept his word and did not seek
re-election as abraham lincoln won the election of 1860 and was sworn in in march of 1861. shortly
after he left office and returned to pennsylvania the civil war began and many blamed buchanan for
being a key figure in starting it he was vilified by the press and received threatening letters
calling him a traitor he adamantly argued against these attacks and was a strong supporter of the
union effort a few years after the war ended james buchanan died on june 1st 1868 from respiratory
failure he was 77 years old so with that hopefully you learned something and thanks for watching
you