James Buchanan & the sin of inaction

Considered a “doughface,” or a Northerner with Southern sympathies, James Buchanan is widely considered the worst U.S. president. The Dred Scott Supreme Court decision was delivered by the Court in the first days of Buchanan’s presidency, and Buchanan was widely believed to have influenced the decision.

Buchanan’s administration spiraled downhill from his first day in office. Capitalizing on Buchanan’s lack of leadership on slavery and expansion, an energized Republican party seized control of Congress in the mid-term elections and blocked much of Buchanan’s weak proposals. During the Panic of 1857, he initiated the sale of Treasury revenue bonds and managed to enrage both Democrats and Republicans.

Most significantly, President Buchanan ignored the growing secessionist movement. Even after Abraham Lincoln’s controversial election, as Southern states announced their intention to secede from the Union, Buchanan nervously demurred taking action in the hopes that the crisis would resolve itself.

In its profile of James Buchanan, U.S. News & World Reports writes,

“To his dying day, he felt that history would treat him favorably for having performed his constitutional duty. He was wrong.”

Buchanan’s presidency serves as an example of the dangers of ignoring growing public discontent and frustration with the federal government. The Civil War, which broke out just a few months after Buchanan left office, would end up destroying a generation of young American men (and women), and dividing the nation for decades — if not centuries — to come.