James Buchanan

James Buchanan is considered one of the least successful U.S. presidents because of his passive and hapless handling of the sectional crisis at the end of the 1850s. A Pennsylvanian, he was nonetheless pro-southern, and his candidacy for the presidency in 1856 contributed to the breakdown of the existing national parties into sectional entities. Elected with strong southern support, Buchanan could not defuse the growing crisis over slavery in the territories, especially in “Bleeding” Kansas, as he took an overly legalistic approach to a problem that had inflamed the populace. At its 1860 convention, the Democratic Party broke into northern and southern wings on the slavery question, with Stephen Douglas defeating Buchanan for the nomination. During the secession winter following Abraham Lincoln’s election, Buchanan dithered as both sections prepared for war.