James Buchanan

15th President of the United States under the Constitution of 1787: March 4, 1857 March 4, 1861 James Buchanan was honest and sincere, a man who by hard work achieved the highest office in the country. Prior to his becoming President he had compiled a record of 42 years of almost continuous public service. He became president at a time of great cri... sis in the United States when extraordinary leadership was needed if the Southern states were to remain in the Union, but he was not a successful leader. Under more normal circumstances his qualities as a hardworking politician of compromise and accommodation would have served the country admirably. He failed realize that the North would not accept arguments favoring the South. Nor did he realize how sectionalism had realigned the political parties. The problems of slavery had divided the nation. Nearing the end of his term, Buchanan was unable to prevent the secession of seven slave states of the Deep South and the formation of an independent government, the Confederate States of America. The result was the American Civil War. Students and Teachers of US History this is a video of Stanley and Christopher Klos presenting America's Four United Republics Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. The December 2015 video was an impromptu capture by a member of the audience of Penn students, professors and guests that numbered about 200. Buchanan was born the son of James and Elizabeth Speer Buchanan on April 23, 1791 in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania. His father was a Scotch-Irish Presbyterian immigrant who became a successful storekeeper and landowner. He learned his love of good books from his mother. Buchanan attended school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania studying Latin and Greek. At the age of 16 he entered Dickinson College and graduated two years later in 1809. Upon graduation he studied law and was admitted to the bar three years later. With a wide knowledge of the law and a great ability as a public speaker, he was an immediate success as a lawyer in ...Read More