Chapter 52: As the 1860 Election Approaches, Buchanan’s Presidency Has Been a Disaster

James Buchanan is one of the most qualified men ever to serve as President, having been a congressman, a diplomat and Secretary of State before entering the White House. But once there, he is an abject failure.

Despite his roots in Pennsylvania, he is singularly devoted to advancing the interests of his political base in the South. As Secretary of State he helps write the “Ostend Manifesto” which calls for annexing Cuba by force if necessary. As President, three of his Cabinet positions go to men who will later play important roles in the Confederate government.

His downfall, however, traces to actions taken over four years to ensure that Kansas is admitted to the Union as a Slave State. In the process he will send Federal troops to Lawrence to shut down the Free State legislature. He will fire his first choice for Governor (Walker) after he reports on fraudulent elections and opposes the Pro-Slavery Lecompton Constitution – a decision that causes a crucial split with his Congressional point man, Stephen Douglas. Finally he spends the rest of his political capital on manipulating additional “popsov” votes in Kansas until it becomes clear that the actual settlers prefer a Free State label.

On top of that, Buchanan also suffers other set-backs: the Bank Panic in 1857 and his futile 1858 effort to establish federal control over Brigham Young’s Mormon enclave in Utah.

In his final address to Congress he continues to blame the North for the regional turmoil. He then watches as the first seven Southern states secede, before ironically signing the bill to admit Kansas as a Free State. Upon greeting Lincoln as his successor, he says: “If you are as happy, my dear sir, on entering this house as I am in leaving it and returning home, you are the happiest man in this country.”