Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 4, 1856. Democratic nominee James Buchanan defeated Republican nominee John C. Frémont and Know Nothing/Whig nominee Millard Fillmore. The main issue was the expansion of slavery as facilitated by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854. Buchanan defeated President Franklin Pierce at the 1856 Democratic National Convention for the nomination. Pierce had become widely unpopular in the North because of his support for the pro-slavery faction in the ongoing civil war in territorial Kansas, and Buchanan, a former Secretary of State, had avoided the divisive debates over the Kansas–Nebraska Act by being in Europe as the Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
The origins of the American Civil War were rooted in the desire of the Southern states to preserve the institution of slavery. Historians in the 21st century overwhelmingly agree on the centrality of slavery in the conflict. They disagree on which aspects were most important, and on the North's reasons for refusing to allow the Southern states to secede. The pseudo-historical Lost Cause ideology denies that slavery was the principal cause of the secession, a view disproven by historical evidence, notably some of the seceding states' own secession documents. After leaving the Union, Mississippi issued a declaration stating, "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery—the greatest material interest of the world."
William Fisher Packer was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as the 14th governor of Pennsylvania from 1858 to 1861.
The Lecompton Constitution (1858) was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas. Named for the city of Lecompton, Kansas where it was drafted, it was strongly pro-slavery. It never went into effect.
The Ostend Manifesto, also known as the Ostend Circular, was a document written in 1854 that described the rationale for the United States to purchase Cuba from Spain while implying that the U.S. should declare war if Spain refused. Cuba's annexation had long been a goal of U.S. slaveholding expansionists. At the national level, American leaders had been satisfied to have the island remain in weak Spanish hands so long as it did not pass to a stronger power such as Britain or France. The Ostend Manifesto proposed a shift in foreign policy, justifying the use of force to seize Cuba in the name of national security. It resulted from debates over slavery in the United States, manifest destiny, and the Monroe Doctrine, as slaveholders sought new territory for the expansion of slavery.
The Panic of 1857 was a financial crisis in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph by Samuel F. Morse in 1844, the Panic of 1857 was the first financial crisis to spread rapidly throughout the United States. The world economy was more interconnected by the 1850s, which made the Panic of 1857 the first worldwide economic crisis. In Britain, the Palmerston government circumvented the requirements of the Bank Charter Act 1844, which required gold and silver reserves to back up the amount of money in circulation. Surfacing news of this circumvention set off the Panic in Britain.
William Porcher Miles was an American politician who was among the ardent states' rights advocates, supporters of slavery, and Southern secessionists who came to be known as the "Fire-Eaters." He is notable for having designed the most popular variant of the Confederate flag, originally rejected as the national flag in 1861 but adopted as a battle flag by the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee before it was reincorporated.
The presidency of Franklin Pierce began on March 4, 1853, when Franklin Pierce was inaugurated as the 14th President of the United States, and ended on March 4, 1857. Pierce, a Democrat from New Hampshire, took office after defeating Whig Party nominee Winfield Scott in the 1852 presidential election. Seen by fellow Democrats as pleasant and accommodating to all the party's factions, Pierce, then a little-known politician, won the presidential nomination on the 49th ballot of the 1852 Democratic National Convention. His hopes for reelection ended after losing the Democratic nomination at the 1856 Democratic National Convention, and was succeeded by Democrat James Buchanan.
The presidency of James Buchanan began on March 4, 1857, when James Buchanan was inaugurated as the 15th President of the United States, and ended on March 4, 1861. Buchanan, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, took office after defeating John C. Frémont of the Republican Party and former President Millard Fillmore of the American Party in the 1856 presidential election. He declined to seek re-election and was succeeded by Republican Abraham Lincoln.
James Buchanan Jr. was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. Buchanan also served as the secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvania in both houses of the U.S. Congress. He was an advocate for states' rights, particularly regarding slavery, and minimized the role of the federal government preceding the American Civil War.
The inauguration of James Buchanan as the 15th president of the United States was held on Wednesday, March 4, 1857, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 18th inauguration and marked the commencement of the only four-year term of both James Buchanan as president and John C. Breckinridge as vice president. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney administered the presidential oath of office. This was the first inauguration ceremony known to be photographed.
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A U.S. Senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party to run for president in the 1860 presidential election, which was won by Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln. Douglas had previously defeated Lincoln in the 1858 United States Senate election in Illinois, known for the pivotal Lincoln–Douglas debates. He was one of the brokers of the Compromise of 1850, which sought to avert a sectional crisis; to further deal with the volatile issue of extending slavery into the territories, Douglas became the foremost advocate of popular sovereignty, which held that each territory should be allowed to determine whether to permit slavery within its borders. This attempt to address the issue was rejected by both pro-slavery and anti-slavery advocates. Douglas was nicknamed the "Little Giant" because he was short in physical stature but a forceful and dominant figure in politics.
The political career of John C. Breckinridge included service in the state government of Kentucky, the Federal government of the United States, as well as the government of the Confederate States of America. In 1857, 36 years old, he was inaugurated as Vice President of the United States under James Buchanan. He remains the youngest person to ever hold the office. Four years later, he ran as the presidential candidate of a dissident group of Southern Democrats, but lost the election to the Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln.
The 1811 State of the Union Address was delivered by the fourth President, James Madison, on November 5, 1811. Addressing the Twelfth United States Congress, Madison emphasized the ongoing diplomatic and economic challenges posed by Great Britain and France, both of which were violating U.S. neutral trading rights amidst the Napoleonic Wars.
The 1817 State of the Union Address was delivered by the fifth President of the United States, James Monroe, on December 2, 1817. This was Monroe's first annual message to the Fifteenth United States Congress and reflected on the nation's prosperity following the War of 1812.
The 1850 State of the Union address was delivered by the 13th president of the United States Millard Fillmore to the 31st United States Congress on December 2, 1850. This was Fillmore's first address after assuming office following the death of President Zachary Taylor. In this speech, he presented his vision for the nation and the principles that would guide his administration. William R. King, the president of the Senate, and Howell Cobb, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, presided over the session.
The 1858 State of the Union address was delivered by James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States, to the 35th United States Congress on December 6, 1858. In this address, Buchanan discussed the status of Kansas, tensions between the North and South, foreign policy with Spain, and internal improvements.
The 1870 State of the Union address was delivered by the 18th President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant on December 5, 1870, to the 41st United States Congress. This was Grant’s second annual message, emphasizing Reconstruction, foreign relations, and domestic reforms.
The 1878 State of the Union address was delivered by the 19th president of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes, to the 45th United States Congress on December 2, 1878, in the House Chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Presiding over the joint session was Speaker of the House, Samuel J. Randall, and Vice President William A. Wheeler.
The 1879 State of the Union address was delivered by the 19th president of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes, to the 46th United States Congress on December 1, 1879, in the House Chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Speaker of the House, Samuel J. Randall, and Vice President William A. Wheeler presided over the joint session.
