James Buchanan was not one of our greatest presidents ever. But he was one that I learned about in grade school–since he was from Pennsylvania.
What we learned: He was a lifelong bachelor. (We didn’t talk about sexuality in the early 1970’s. We learned that he drank a bit too much. And that someone once called him “dough faced.” I remember that my teacher thought that was a terrible thing to call a person, and consequently, it became an insult on the playground.
But he is considered one of the worst US Presidents for setting the stage for the Civil War.
According to the college boy: “Buchanan thought the Supreme Court’s forthcoming decision in the Dred Scott case would ease the strife and tension in the country. He downplayed the conflict, predicting that the looming states’ rights and slavery questions would be “a matter of but little practical importance.”
Searching through his quotes, I did find this quote. Outdated, yes. Ironic, too. But also correct.
“The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among freemen.”
#OneADay #PresidentsWithoutPolitics #UntilElectionDay