Why is Buchanan considered one of the United States's worst presidents?
1 Answer
His response to the secession crisis was terrible.
Explanation:
In 1856, President Buchanan was elected President of the United States. At that time, tensions had been brewing between the North and the South over the issue of slavery for decades and instead of simmering down, they were boiling over. Violent demonstrations, attempts by factions to spark a war, and other such actions demonstrated very clearly that the US was in danger of splitting apart.
Fast forward to 1860 (in the intervening time he didn't manage to do much at all to stem the violence or ease tensions). South Carolina was talking very seriously about secession. The President's State of the Union address was coming up in early December of that year and it was thought he would make a strong statement about keeping the country together. He didn't. Instead, he said that:
- he thought that secession was illegal, but
- he thought there was nothing the government could do about it.
And so managed to make a bad situation worse: the South was upset being told it couldn't leave the Union and the North was upset hearing that Buchanan thought he couldn't do anything about it. Members of Buchanan's cabinet resigned in protest over the mixed message (his Treasury secretary - from the South - said he could no longer work for him and his Secretary of State - from the North - resigned for his not doing enough to prevent secession.)
Less than three weeks later, South Carolina seceded.
And still Buchanan did nothing! Senators tried stepping up with speeches, conventions, and meetings (with mixed success) in early 1861. Six more states seceded.
And then Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as President in March 1861. Lincoln was known to be very anti-secession and within weeks of his election the South fired on Fort Sumter, starting the US Civil War.
It is reported that Lincoln's and Buchanan's carriages were side by side on the way to Lincoln's swearing in ceremony. Buchanan is reported to have said to Lincoln "If you are as happy entering the presidency as I am leaving it, then you are a very happy man."
http://history1800s.about.com/od/civilwar/a/james-buchanan-and-secession.htm
