Why Historians Rank James Buchanan Among America's Worst Presidents
Showing 4 James Buchanan videos from Charlie Kirk's video collection.
Historian Joseph Loconte traced James Buchanan's failure to prevent the Civil War to his decades of sympathy for Southern interests, including his support for states' rights and slavery as a Pennsylvania congressman and senator who despised Northern abolitionists as extremists threatening the union. Despite arriving in office with an unmatched resume of congressional, ambassadorial, and cabinet experience, Buchanan left the presidency in 1861 with the country on the brink of collapse. A separate video features Bill O'Reilly citing Buchanan's cowardice before the Civil War as a defining example in his book ranking America's best and worst presidents. Other videos in this pool include a companion profile of Franklin Pierce's similarly ineffective leadership on slavery.