James Buchanan: Passive
2023-06-04
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1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.
2Today we are talking about James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States.
3He was the third in a series of unsuccessful presidents.
4Millard Fillmore and Franklin Pierce had failed to resolve the country's increasing division over slavery.
5Democratic Party officials hoped Buchanan could do better.
6After all, he was a gifted lawyer and had been a member of the U.S. Congress, a secretary of state, and a diplomat.
7But Buchanan was not so sure he could resolve the country's problems.
8He was right. He was the last president before the American Civil War.
9James Buchanan was born in the northern state of Pennsylvania.
10His father was a businessman, and his family was financially successful.
11Buchanan - the oldest son in a family with 11 children - received a good education.
12He attended Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and soon began working as a lawyer.
13His abilities earned him a good deal of money and a place in the state's legislature.
14But they were not able to win him a wife.
15As a young man, Buchanan fell in love with and proposed marriage to a young woman from a wealthy family.
16She accepted. But her father opposed the union.
17One day, his fiancée wrote Buchanan a letter saying she had reconsidered and decided not to marry him after all.
18Three days later, she unexpectedly died.
19Buchanan was heartbroken.
20He promised never to marry anyone else. And he did not.
21To date, James Buchanan is the only U.S. president who never married.
22When he entered the White House, his niece served as his first lady.
23Even with problems in his personal life, Buchanan went on to have a strong career as a national politician.
24He hoped his party would nominate him as its candidate for president.
25But in the 1840s and early 1850s, the Democrats nominated other candidates.
26Finally, in 1856, the party chose Buchanan.
27But by then, he was no longer sure he wanted to be president.
28He believed the country would soon be at war.
29Violence had already broken out in the western territory of Kansas.
30White settlers there had clashed over whether Kansas would enter the Union as a slave or free state.
31In one dramatic event, an anti-slavery activist named John Brown had murdered several pro-slavery settlers.
32President Buchanan had clear ideas about slavery.
33He said in his inaugural speech that voters in the territories - a group made up of white men - should be able to decide the issue for themselves.
34In the same speech, Buchanan urged Americans to support an important Supreme Court ruling that became known as the Dred Scott decision.
35Two days later, the court's justices announced the majority opinion in that case.
36The opinion said the federal government did not have the power to control slavery in the territories.
37In addition, the court declared that enslaved people were not U.S. citizens.
38They were property, it said. Enslaved people did not have any more rights than a horse or a chair.
39Buchanan hoped the decision would stop the country's debate over slavery.
40Instead, it made the debate more intense.
41During his presidency, Buchanan took two other actions that increased tensions and damaged his public image.
42First, he tried to persuade Congress to accept a state constitution for Kansas.
43The constitution permitted slavery, although a majority of Kansas voters had not agreed to it.
44The U.S. House of Representatives decided not to follow President Buchanan's wishes.
45They permitted Kansans to vote again on the constitution.
46This time, Kansas voters rejected it.
47A majority agreed instead to seek admission into the Union as a free state.
48Buchanan's image also suffered because of an event known as the raid on Harper's Ferry.
49The raid was led by John Brown, the anti-slavery activist who had murdered pro-slavery settlers in Kansas.
50This time, Brown hoped to create an armed rebellion of anti-slavery activists and freed slaves.
51To get weapons, Brown and his men attacked a federal arsenal about 110 kilometers northwest of Washington, D.C.
52The armory was in the town of Harper's Ferry, in today's state of West Virginia.
53President Buchanan answered the raid by permitting federal troops to use force.
54The U.S. Marines surrounded Brown and his forces.
55They killed some and captured others, including Brown.
56A few weeks later, Brown was brought to trial, found guilty, and hanged.
57The event further divided Americans.
58Anti-slavery Northerners believed Brown was a hero.
59Pro-slavery Southerners believed he was a traitor.
60In general, Buchanan agreed with the Southerners.
61He said in a speech that Northerners should not tell Southerners what they could do in their states.
62But his words did not satisfy either side.
63For one thing, a main issue was whether slavery should be permitted in any new states.
64Buchanan did not comment on that point.
65At the end of his single term, Buchanan kept an earlier promise not to seek re-election.
66His party did not urge him to. Instead, Northern Democrats and Southern Democrats split.
67They nominated two different candidates.
68The Democrats' lack of unity provided an opening for a candidate from a new party.
69The Republican Party was comprised of northerners who were against slavery.
70Their candidate was a lawyer without much experience in government.
71His name was Abraham Lincoln.
72Lincoln won the presidential election of 1860.
73In answer, the Southern state of South Carolina withdrew from the Union.
74Buchanan - who was in the last weeks of his presidency - did not support the move.
75But he did not act to stop South Carolina, either.
76He said the Constitution did not give him the power to force a state to stay in the Union.
77Following Buchanan's inaction, six other slave-holding Southern states also seceded.
78Today many historians agree James Buchanan was one of the worst American presidents.
79Buchanan had many good personal qualities, and he did not want to harm the country.
80Instead, a common belief is that he did not have the right skills to unite a divided nation.
81His behavior appeared to be guided by conflicting ideas.
82Buchanan said he opposed slavery and supported the Union.
83But he often took actions to protect slavery and help the South.
84Buchanan largely blamed anti-slavery activists and opposition politicians for the problems during his administration.
85But the public did not accept Buchanan's position.
86He was not respected after he left office, and he did not appear in public very often.
87Instead, the former president withdrew to his home in Pennsylvania until his death in 1868.
88I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.
1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents. 2Today we are talking about James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States. 3He was the third in a series of unsuccessful presidents. Millard Fillmore and Franklin Pierce had failed to resolve the country's increasing division over slavery. 4Democratic Party officials hoped Buchanan could do better. 5After all, he was a gifted lawyer and had been a member of the U.S. Congress, a secretary of state, and a diplomat. 6But Buchanan was not so sure he could resolve the country's problems. He was right. He was the last president before the American Civil War. 7Early life 8James Buchanan was born in the northern state of Pennsylvania. 9His father was a businessman, and his family was financially successful. 10Buchanan - the oldest son in a family with 11 children - received a good education. He attended Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and soon began working as a lawyer. 11His abilities earned him a good deal of money and a place in the state's legislature. But they were not able to win him a wife. 12As a young man, Buchanan fell in love with and proposed marriage to a young woman from a wealthy family. She accepted. But her father opposed the union. 13One day, his fiancée wrote Buchanan a letter saying she had reconsidered and decided not to marry him after all. Three days later, she unexpectedly died. 14Buchanan was heartbroken. He promised never to marry anyone else. And he did not. 15To date, James Buchanan is the only U.S. president who never married. When he entered the White House, his niece served as his first lady. 16Election of 1856 17Even with problems in his personal life, Buchanan went on to have a strong career as a national politician. He hoped his party would nominate him as its candidate for president. 18But in the 1840s and early 1850s, the Democrats nominated other candidates. Finally, in 1856, the party chose Buchanan. But by then, he was no longer sure he wanted to be president. He believed the country would soon be at war. 19Violence had already broken out in the western territory of Kansas. White settlers there had clashed over whether Kansas would enter the Union as a slave or free state. 20In one dramatic event, an anti-slavery activist named John Brown had murdered several pro-slavery settlers. 21President Buchanan had clear ideas about slavery. He said in his inaugural speech that voters in the territories - a group made up of white men - should be able to decide the issue for themselves. 22In the same speech, Buchanan urged Americans to support an important Supreme Court ruling that became known as the Dred Scott decision. 23Two days later, the court's justices announced the majority opinion in that case. The opinion said the federal government did not have the power to control slavery in the territories. 24In addition, the court declared that enslaved people were not U.S. citizens. They were property, it said. Enslaved people did not have any more rights than a horse or a chair. 25Buchanan hoped the decision would stop the country's debate over slavery. Instead, it made the debate more intense. 26Presidency 27During his presidency, Buchanan took two other actions that increased tensions and damaged his public image. 28First, he tried to persuade Congress to accept a state constitution for Kansas. The constitution permitted slavery, although a majority of Kansas voters had not agreed to it. 29The U.S. House of Representatives decided not to follow President Buchanan's wishes. They permitted Kansans to vote again on the constitution. 30This time, Kansas voters rejected it. A majority agreed instead to seek admission into the Union as a free state. 31Buchanan's image also suffered because of an event known as the raid on Harper's Ferry. 32The raid was led by John Brown, the anti-slavery activist who had murdered pro-slavery settlers in Kansas. This time, Brown hoped to create an armed rebellion of anti-slavery activists and freed slaves. 33To get weapons, Brown and his men attacked a federal arsenal about 110 kilometers northwest of Washington, D.C. The armory was in the town of Harper's Ferry, in today's state of West Virginia. 34President Buchanan answered the raid by permitting federal troops to use force. The U.S. Marines surrounded Brown and his forces. They killed some and captured others, including Brown. 35A few weeks later, Brown was brought to trial, found guilty, and hanged. 36The event further divided Americans. Anti-slavery Northerners believed Brown was a hero. Pro-slavery Southerners believed he was a traitor. 37In general, Buchanan agreed with the Southerners. He said in a speech that Northerners should not tell Southerners what they could do in their states. 38But his words did not satisfy either side. For one thing, a main issue was whether slavery should be permitted in any new states. Buchanan did not comment on that point. 39Election of 1860 40At the end of his single term, Buchanan kept an earlier promise not to seek re-election. His party did not urge him to. Instead, Northern Democrats and Southern Democrats split. They nominated two different candidates. 41The Democrats' lack of unity provided an opening for a candidate from a new party. The Republican Party was comprised of northerners who were against slavery. Their candidate was a lawyer without much experience in government. His name was Abraham Lincoln. 42Lincoln won the presidential election of 1860. 43In answer, the Southern state of South Carolina withdrew from the Union. 44Buchanan - who was in the last weeks of his presidency - did not support the move. But he did not act to stop South Carolina, either. He said the Constitution did not give him the power to force a state to stay in the Union. 45Following Buchanan's inaction, six other slave-holding Southern states also seceded. 46Legacy 47Today many historians agree James Buchanan was one of the worst American presidents. 48Buchanan had many good personal qualities, and he did not want to harm the country. Instead, a common belief is that he did not have the right skills to unite a divided nation. 49His behavior appeared to be guided by conflicting ideas. Buchanan said he opposed slavery and supported the Union. But he often took actions to protect slavery and help the South. 50Buchanan largely blamed anti-slavery activists and opposition politicians for the problems during his administration. 51But the public did not accept Buchanan's position. He was not respected after he left office, and he did not appear in public very often. 52Instead, the former president withdrew to his home in Pennsylvania until his death in 1868. 53I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. 54Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 55_______________________________________________________________ 56_______________________________________________________________ 57Words in This Story 58dramatic - adj. greatly affecting people's emotions 59inaugural - adj. happening as part of an official ceremony or celebration when someone (such as a newly elected official) begins an important job 60secede - v. to separate from a nation or state and become independent