The Failures of James Buchanan
Arguably the worst president in U.S. history
When James Buchanan took office in 1857, the United States was on the verge of collapse. Debates over the institution of slavery had driven a wedge between the North and South that could only be removed with the diligent undertakings of a strong, fearless leader. Unfortunately, these words are practically oxymoronic when referenced in association with the name James Buchanan. America’s 15th president would suffer through a horrendous term in office, cementing himself in history as arguably one of the worst U.S. chief executives.
Political Origins
James Buchanan was born into a Pennsylvania family of Scottish immigrants on April 23rd, 1791. As a young man, Buchanan took up an interest in law, graduating from Dickinson College in 1809 and beginning a career in legal studies in the state capital of Lancaster. Buchanan was subsequently admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1812, where he was able to carve out a successful practice on the back of his gifted debate skills and studious understanding of the law.
His early successes as a young lawyer did not go unnoticed in the state. Buchanan’s courtroom accomplishments earned him a seat in the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1814. He would hold this post for one term before moving up the chain, securing a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives beginning in 1821.
Buchanan was a Federalist, but as they began a final descent into irrelevance during the mid 1820s, he joined ranks with the newly minted Democratic Party. When the election of 1824 rolled around, Buchanan stood as a staunch Jackson supporter. Both in Washington and in his home state, he helped garner support for the populist general. As a northern Democrat who sided with Southern sympathies, he was labeled a doughface.
Buchanan’s support of President Jackson’s policy would not go unnoticed, as in 1831, after Jackson was reelected, he would be named U.S. minister to St. Petersburg. Following a two-year stint as a diplomat, Buchanan joined ranks in the legislature once again, serving in the U.S. Senate for a decade from 1834 to 1845.
Stepping Back into the Executive
Buchanan spent his time in the Senate arguing against federal infringement on state’s rights in the fight against slavery. He, along with other Democrats, insisted that the government stay out of the decision to expand or retract the shameful institution. Buchanan was also a fervent believer in the idea of Manifest Destiny which centered around the expansion of the United States westward.
Buchanan’s dedication to the idea of westward extension caught the eye of newly-elected James K. Polk. The 11th president awarded Buchanan with a cabinet position, Secretary of State, which he happily accepted. During his time as Secretary, Buchanan assisted the president in nearly doubling the size of the United States, acquiring Oregon and territories gained after peace following the Mexican-American War.
When it was time for the 1848 election, Polk stepped down following his promise to sit for only a single term. Buchanan jumped at the opportunity to become his successor, but he ultimately lost the Democratic nod to Senator Lewis Cass of Michigan. Following the defeat, Buchanan stepped away from politics for a time, though he would return to office as Ambassador to the United Kingdom under the 14th president, Franklin Pierce, in 1853.
Buchanan’s success abroad, as well his continued support for the Compromise of 1850 and the concerns of the South were beginning to be noticed by the country as a whole. Though Franklin Pierce was the incumbent vying for reelection, the Democratic Party was searching for a new face in the White House. This face would ultimately be the one of Pennsylvania’s James Buchanan who in 1856 was selected as the Democratic nominee for president.
White House Woes
Buchanan managed to procure the presidency with an electoral victory of 174 to 114 over Republican John C. Frémont. The 65-year-old Pennsylvanian was now the 15th president of the United States.
During his inauguration, Buchanan expressed confidence that the slavery debate would be coming to a close. Just a few days after being sworn in, the Supreme Court delivered their verdict on the Dred Scott case, in which an enslaved man, Dred Scott, had been taken to a free territory. Scott argued that since he had spent time in the free territory, he could not be forcibly brought back to a slave state. The Supreme Court’s ruling, however, was in favor of Scott’s owner. The case enraged those in the North, and pushed abolitionist sentiment even further.
To make matters worse, word surfaced that Buchanan had intervened in the ruling, writing many letters to fellow Pennsylvanian and Supreme Court Justice Robert Cooper Grier. As if Northerners did not have enough to despise Buchanan for already, this discovery drove dislike for the president to new levels.
On top of the turmoil created by the Dred Scott reading, the nation was also struck with the Panic of 1857. The economic downturn resulted in the collapse of numerous banks and businesses, especially in the North. However, true to his Jacksonian roots, Buchanan sided against relief aid and argued for bank reform instead. His policies did little to support those in need at the time, leaving countless Americans unemployed and struggling to stay afloat.
Buchanan’s time in office also oversaw turbulent developments out west which culminated in Bleeding Kansas. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, had added fuel to the fiery debates of the westward expansion of slavery, and the Kansas Territory served as a prime example of just how violent the debates would get. President Buchanan was instrumental in promoting the Lecompton Constitution developed by pro-slavery advocates of Kansas statehood which sought Kansas’s admission to the Union as a slave state. Though Kansas would fail to be granted statehood until 1861, Buchanan’s support of the unpopular Constitution gave Northerners yet another reason to loathe him.
His problems expanded outside American borders as well. Buchanan’s foreign ambitions were centered around acquiring Cuba and establishing protectorate status over the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora, all of which failed. Old Buck even tried his hand at purchasing Alaska from the Russians, but the deal fell through.
By the time the 1860 presidential election rolled around, the Union was in a much worse condition than when Buchanan stepped in as commander in chief. Though he had agreed to only sit for a single term, Buchanan would have little chance to win reelection regardless. Between his feud with Illinois Democrat, Stephen Douglas and his administration’s controversies, the Democratic Party was in desperate need of a new front runner.
For the 1860 election, the Democrats split allegiance based on geography. The northern faction nominated Buchanan’s nemesis, Stephen Douglas, while the southern wing sent forth Vice-President John Breckinridge. Obviously, this split would be what did the Democrats in, paving the way for Republican Abraham Lincoln to waltz into the White House.
With Lincoln’s election, secession was on the horizon. South Carolina left the Union in December of 1860, followed by six more states come February of 1861. Buchanan did not consider it lawful for the South to secede, but he also did not believe the government had the right to prevent it. Because of this, the indecisive Buchanan did essentially nothing to prevent the creation of the Confederacy, and thus simply watched as the Union collapsed.
James Buchanan was a talented lawyer and even a skilled politician at times, but his indecisiveness and failure to take a hard stance on slavery stain his time in office. In his retirement, Republicans, Congress, and even President Lincoln condemned his inactivity and disastrous approach to conserving the Union.
Maybe in a different time with novel circumstances, he could have built a better legacy. However, as American history is currently written, James Buchanan is remembered as one of the greatest failures the presidency has ever seen.
Sources
Cooper, William, et al. “James Buchanan: Impact and Legacy.” Miller Center, 27 June 2017.
“James Buchanan.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
“James Buchanan.” The White House, The United States Government, 15 Jan. 2021.
Little, Becky. “How President Buchanan Deepened Divisions over Slavery before the Civil War.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 13 May 2022.
