Pres. Buchanan

[MikeyB]

For anyone whose studied his actions leading up to 1861, I'm curious - in your opinion, what, if anything did he do correctly to secure national property, footing and territory leading up to Lincoln's inauguration?

Accounts that I've read suggest he wasn't really doing much of anything, but admittedly, I haven't studied this deeply. Curious if there are certain things that he did correct, or if his largely negative picture by history is accurate and deserved.

 

[neyankee61]

Buchanan developed a backbone after many of the Southern members of his cabinet left or resigned (Howell Cobb John Floyd and Jacob Thompson). Replaced by John Dix Edwin Stanton and Joseph Holt, all pro-Union men, Buchanan decided to hold Ft. Sumter and attempt to use the Star of the West to resupply it. Failure of the attempt caused Buchanan to fall back into a status quo do nothing policy and leave it to the incoming adm.

 

[major bill]

If Buchanan had taken stronger action, would have the fighting began earlier?

 

[neyankee61]

If Anderson had returned fire when The Star of the West attempted to land supplies then the war would have started then

 

[wausaubob]

Buchanan was out of touch. The Republican version of Manifest Destiny was gaining ground each year he was in office, and the Southern Democrats knew it.
I think Franklin Pierce was in a position to talk tough to the southerners, but he was a true supported of slavery and was not going to ask anyone in the south to adjust to reality. Someone was going to have tell the southerners that they either get busy modifying chattel slavery or the northern states would do it for them.