After the Mexican War, slavery became the dominant issue in the United States. Democrats supported unrestricted slavery. The Whig Party crumbled over the issue with Northerners becoming Republicans and opposing the institution. Southern Whigs eventually became Confederates. As a result, each president from Taylor to Lincoln had their legacy intimately tied to the issue of slavery.
Zachary Taylor (1849-1850): When California wanted admission to the Union, Taylor supported it even when it was clear they would enter as a Free State. The South felt betrayed. Taylor was a Louisiana slave holder, but he opposed the spread of slavery. When a compromise was put forth that would allow California to enter Free while strengthening slavery elsewhere, Taylor opposed it and threatened to start hanging Democrats. Then, he died.
Millard Fillmore (1850-1853): While Taylor opposed the Compromise of 1850, Fillmore supported it. California entered the US as a free state. Utah and New Mexico entered without restrictions of slavery. A tough fugitive slave law was enacted and the interstate slave trade was banned. The Fugitive Slave Law was a particularly heinous creation. Persons of color had no rights if they were accused of being a runaway. So, slave catchers could go North and haul free persons back to the South with impunity under Federal Law. The Compromise was meant to quell sectionalism. Instead, it helped inflame sectionalism especially after Harriet Beecher Stowe published "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
Franklin Pierce (1853-1857): Franklin Pierce had no backbone. When Stephen Douglas marched into the White House and demand he support the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Pierce folded like a card table. The act split Kansas and Nebraska up into two states. The people of each state could vote on whether they would be a slave state or a free state. It was assumed Nebraska would vote free and Kansas would go slave. Nebraska voted to ban slavery. Kansas was a mess. Several Chicago style elections and an in-state civil war left Pierce in ruins.
James Buchanan (1857-1861): Buchanan attempted to pacify the South. He tried to force a pro-slavery Constitution onto Kansas. He failed. He tried to start a war with the Mormons to bring about national unity. He failed. After Lincoln's election, the South seceded from the union. Buchanan did nothing. James Buchanan was the worst president in history.
Showing posts with label James Buchanan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Buchanan. Show all posts
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The Worst Inaugural Addresses
Here is a list of the five worst Presidential Inaugural Addresses. They are arranged chronologically.
1. Thomas Jefferson (1805): Jefferson breaks into a tirade during his inaugural. He attempts to justify his policies and accomplishments and then attacks his critics and calls them ignorant. And people thought Nixon's 1962 farewell speech was bitter.
2. John Quincy Adams (1825): Adams was slow to recognize the revolutionary changes overtaking American politics in the 1820s. However, he did recognize his precarious situation after the contested Election of 1824. His address was long, rambling, and boring. He felt the need to mention the aqueducts of Rome. At the end, he admits he is a handicapped president and might not be able to get much done.
3. William Henry Harrison (1841): Harrison's address was so long, he caught a cold, which turned to pneumonia. He died a month into office. His speech was so bad, it killed him.
4. James Buchanan (1857): The word clueless comes to mind with Buchanan. The country was on the eve of Civil War, but Buchanan did not seem to understand this. The Kansas situation had created a war within the territory. Buchanan claimed sectional differences were of no importance. He then rambles on and on and on...
5. Warren Harding (1921): Another long and rambling speech. The first Bill Clinton gave one of the worst addresses ever. Reading the speech is something akin to watching paint dry. No, that is unfair to paint.
1. Thomas Jefferson (1805): Jefferson breaks into a tirade during his inaugural. He attempts to justify his policies and accomplishments and then attacks his critics and calls them ignorant. And people thought Nixon's 1962 farewell speech was bitter.
2. John Quincy Adams (1825): Adams was slow to recognize the revolutionary changes overtaking American politics in the 1820s. However, he did recognize his precarious situation after the contested Election of 1824. His address was long, rambling, and boring. He felt the need to mention the aqueducts of Rome. At the end, he admits he is a handicapped president and might not be able to get much done.
3. William Henry Harrison (1841): Harrison's address was so long, he caught a cold, which turned to pneumonia. He died a month into office. His speech was so bad, it killed him.
4. James Buchanan (1857): The word clueless comes to mind with Buchanan. The country was on the eve of Civil War, but Buchanan did not seem to understand this. The Kansas situation had created a war within the territory. Buchanan claimed sectional differences were of no importance. He then rambles on and on and on...
5. Warren Harding (1921): Another long and rambling speech. The first Bill Clinton gave one of the worst addresses ever. Reading the speech is something akin to watching paint dry. No, that is unfair to paint.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The Failures
Here is the final installment on the presidents. This final list includes the seven presidential failures including the reason for their inclusion on the list. They are ordered chronologically.
1. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857): Pierce got run down and pushed around by Stephen Douglas when leadership was needed most. He supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act which led to a civil war within the state of Kansas. He could not deal with that crisis and was denied renomination. Kansas-Nebraska helped lead to the Civil War. Pierce retired to a life of alcoholism.
2. James Buchanan (1857-1861): Buchanan was the worst of them all. He was unrepentantly pro-Southern. Buchanan pushed for the Dred Scott decision, the Lecompton Constitution in Kansas, and even thought about attacking the Mormons in Utah to unite the country. When South Carolina left the Union, he did nothing.
3. Andrew Johnson (1865-1869): Johnson did everything he could to block Reconstruction. He did nothing to help the freedmen in the South. Eventually, he was impeached, but acquitted. Johnson would later become Senator from Tennessee.
4. Warren Harding (1921-1923): The first Clinton Administration. Harding's Administration was rife with scandal and devoid of achievements. The Teapot Dome scandal is still one of the greatest scandals in history. On the plus side, he did work for arms limitation and supported Blacks in the South.
5. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933): The Great Depression was not his fault. It struck in his seventh month in office. However, Hoover could not solve the country's woes. Ironically, he was the best man for the job having worked on European relief during World War I. Hoover raised taxes and tariffs which made things worse. Hoover did try an unprecedented governmental aid program, but most people do not know this because FDR's New Deal dwarfed it. (FDR did not end the Depression either). The government has never fixed an economic downturn. In 1932, a group of World War I vets marched on Washington asking for their war bonus early. The army rolled in the tanks. It was an American Tiananmen Square and an exclamation mark on the Hoover years.
6. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981): No man has ever been less qualified for office (unless Obama wins in 2008). Carter's policies made an economic slowdown worse and led to the misery index (inflation rate + unemployment rate= Misery Index). While in office, Iran took 52 Americans hostage and Carter looked weak and incompetent. On top of this, gas prices went through the roof as did unemployment and inflation. People have been saying the economy today is the worst since the Depression. This is wrong. It is the worst since Jimmy Carter. On top of this, Carter had a super majority in the Congress. He refused to work with them even when Tip O'Neill promised to help pass anything Carter wanted. Carter was defeated in a landslide by Ronald Reagan.
7. Bill Clinton (1993-2001): Clinton set the record for most scandals. He pushed Fannie and Freddie to make risky loans which collapsed the economy. When offered Osama Bin Laden by the Sudan, he refused. When he could have whacked Bin Laden with a missile strike, he refused. Clinton also gave us Monica and was impeached.
1. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857): Pierce got run down and pushed around by Stephen Douglas when leadership was needed most. He supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act which led to a civil war within the state of Kansas. He could not deal with that crisis and was denied renomination. Kansas-Nebraska helped lead to the Civil War. Pierce retired to a life of alcoholism.
2. James Buchanan (1857-1861): Buchanan was the worst of them all. He was unrepentantly pro-Southern. Buchanan pushed for the Dred Scott decision, the Lecompton Constitution in Kansas, and even thought about attacking the Mormons in Utah to unite the country. When South Carolina left the Union, he did nothing.
3. Andrew Johnson (1865-1869): Johnson did everything he could to block Reconstruction. He did nothing to help the freedmen in the South. Eventually, he was impeached, but acquitted. Johnson would later become Senator from Tennessee.
4. Warren Harding (1921-1923): The first Clinton Administration. Harding's Administration was rife with scandal and devoid of achievements. The Teapot Dome scandal is still one of the greatest scandals in history. On the plus side, he did work for arms limitation and supported Blacks in the South.
5. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933): The Great Depression was not his fault. It struck in his seventh month in office. However, Hoover could not solve the country's woes. Ironically, he was the best man for the job having worked on European relief during World War I. Hoover raised taxes and tariffs which made things worse. Hoover did try an unprecedented governmental aid program, but most people do not know this because FDR's New Deal dwarfed it. (FDR did not end the Depression either). The government has never fixed an economic downturn. In 1932, a group of World War I vets marched on Washington asking for their war bonus early. The army rolled in the tanks. It was an American Tiananmen Square and an exclamation mark on the Hoover years.
6. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981): No man has ever been less qualified for office (unless Obama wins in 2008). Carter's policies made an economic slowdown worse and led to the misery index (inflation rate + unemployment rate= Misery Index). While in office, Iran took 52 Americans hostage and Carter looked weak and incompetent. On top of this, gas prices went through the roof as did unemployment and inflation. People have been saying the economy today is the worst since the Depression. This is wrong. It is the worst since Jimmy Carter. On top of this, Carter had a super majority in the Congress. He refused to work with them even when Tip O'Neill promised to help pass anything Carter wanted. Carter was defeated in a landslide by Ronald Reagan.
7. Bill Clinton (1993-2001): Clinton set the record for most scandals. He pushed Fannie and Freddie to make risky loans which collapsed the economy. When offered Osama Bin Laden by the Sudan, he refused. When he could have whacked Bin Laden with a missile strike, he refused. Clinton also gave us Monica and was impeached.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Election 1856
After four years, the presidency finished Franklin Pierce. His administration's blundering and lack of backbone led to a civil war inside the state of Kansas. Pierce had become a pariah, the nation splintered along sectional lines over the slavery issue, the Whig Party died, and two new political parties rose from the ashes of the Whig Party to challenge the Democrats in 1856.
The Democrats refused to renominate Pierce for a second term and jettisoned him to alcoholism and obscurity. They looked for a candidate untarnished by the Kansas-Nebraska fiasco. Kansas-Nebraska was an attempt by Democrat Stephen Douglas to circumvent the Missouri Compromise by allowing voters in US territories to vote on the issue of slavery. In Kansas, this led to a shooting war between Pro-Slavery and Anti-Slavery forces. It was a debacle. The Democrats found James Buchanan and nominated him for the Presidency. Buchanan had been the ambassador to Great Britain during the Kansas troubles, so he did not get caught up in the mess. He proved offensive to none and was nominated.
Kansas-Nebraska sparked strong feelings amongst many northerners. They saw the fighting in Kansas as an attempt by slave holders to extend their power. As a result, the Republican Party formed to combat the Democrats. Their credo was "Free Soil, Free Labor, and Free Men!" They nominated Mexican War hero and explorer John C. Fremont whose nickname was "The Pathfinder."
Another party rose from the ashes of the Whigs. This party hated immigrants and called themselves the Know-Nothings. This Nativist Party challenged the Republicans for the hearts and minds of Northerners. Instead of rallying against slave power, they attacked the flood of Irish Catholic immigrants and the Pope. They feared a Papal Conspiracy. They argued the Pope would order his Bishops to order the Priests to order their flock to vote in certain ways. Then, the Pope would rule the world. The Know-Nothings nominated former President Millard Fillmore. Some historians argue that Fillmore just wanted to return to the White House and felt this party had a better shot than the GOP did. Another brilliant move on the part of Millard Fillmore.
The campaign's real issue was slavery and its extension. The Democrats had the slight edge going into the general election because they could unite behind Buchanan while Republicans and Know-Nothings would split the anti-Democratic vote. The South threw one of their hissy fits and threatened secession if they lost. That was enough and Buchanan won the White House with 45% of the vote. His opponents tallied 55%. Fremont probably would have won without Fillmore in the race. Even with Fillmore, he came within a hair of winning several key states that would have propelled him the electoral college. Buchanan proved inadequate for the job. He bungled throughout his term, supported the South at every turn, and suborned treason as the South seceded after Lincoln's election in 1860.
The Democrats refused to renominate Pierce for a second term and jettisoned him to alcoholism and obscurity. They looked for a candidate untarnished by the Kansas-Nebraska fiasco. Kansas-Nebraska was an attempt by Democrat Stephen Douglas to circumvent the Missouri Compromise by allowing voters in US territories to vote on the issue of slavery. In Kansas, this led to a shooting war between Pro-Slavery and Anti-Slavery forces. It was a debacle. The Democrats found James Buchanan and nominated him for the Presidency. Buchanan had been the ambassador to Great Britain during the Kansas troubles, so he did not get caught up in the mess. He proved offensive to none and was nominated.
Kansas-Nebraska sparked strong feelings amongst many northerners. They saw the fighting in Kansas as an attempt by slave holders to extend their power. As a result, the Republican Party formed to combat the Democrats. Their credo was "Free Soil, Free Labor, and Free Men!" They nominated Mexican War hero and explorer John C. Fremont whose nickname was "The Pathfinder."
Another party rose from the ashes of the Whigs. This party hated immigrants and called themselves the Know-Nothings. This Nativist Party challenged the Republicans for the hearts and minds of Northerners. Instead of rallying against slave power, they attacked the flood of Irish Catholic immigrants and the Pope. They feared a Papal Conspiracy. They argued the Pope would order his Bishops to order the Priests to order their flock to vote in certain ways. Then, the Pope would rule the world. The Know-Nothings nominated former President Millard Fillmore. Some historians argue that Fillmore just wanted to return to the White House and felt this party had a better shot than the GOP did. Another brilliant move on the part of Millard Fillmore.
The campaign's real issue was slavery and its extension. The Democrats had the slight edge going into the general election because they could unite behind Buchanan while Republicans and Know-Nothings would split the anti-Democratic vote. The South threw one of their hissy fits and threatened secession if they lost. That was enough and Buchanan won the White House with 45% of the vote. His opponents tallied 55%. Fremont probably would have won without Fillmore in the race. Even with Fillmore, he came within a hair of winning several key states that would have propelled him the electoral college. Buchanan proved inadequate for the job. He bungled throughout his term, supported the South at every turn, and suborned treason as the South seceded after Lincoln's election in 1860.
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