2024 the best american president of all time review

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A provocative reconsideration of a presidency on the brink of Civil War

Almost no president was as well trained and well prepared for the office as James Buchanan. He had served in the Pennsylvania state legislature, the U.S. House, and the U.S. Senate; he was Secretary of State and was even offered a seat on the Supreme Court. And yet, by every measure except his own, James Buchanan was a miserable failure as president, leaving office in disgrace. Virtually all of his intentions were thwarted by his own inability to compromise: he had been unable to resolve issues of slavery, caused his party to split-thereby ensuring the election of the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln-and made the Civil War all but inevitable.

Historian Jean H. Baker explains that we have rightly placed Buchanan at the end of the presidential rankings, but his poor presidency should not be an excuse to forget him. To study Buchanan is to consider the implications of weak leadership in a time of national crisis. Elegantly written, Baker's volume offers a balanced look at a crucial moment in our nation's history and explores a man who, when given the opportunity, failed to rise to the challenge.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0805069461
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Times Books; 1st edition (June 7, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780805069464
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0805069464
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.56 x 8.5 inches
Reviewer: mwreview
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: "physically & politically, he had only one farsighted eye"
Review: This is the first book of the American Presidents series that I have read. It is, as editor Arthur Schlesinger notes, "compact enough for the busy reader, lucid enough for the student, authoritative enough for the scholar." In this 152-page work, Jean Baker examines the reasons Buchanan, while one of the most politically qualified men to take the office of President, failed to keep the Union strong during the country's most crucial period in its history.Baker describes Buchanan's early life and career. He served in the House of Representative, the U.S. Senate, was Minister of Russia under President Jackson, Secretary of State for James K. Polk, and Minister to Great Britain in President Pierce's administration (she covers the latter position fairly thoroughly), and had even been offered a seat on the Supreme Court (he rejected it). He had better political credentials than most presidents before or since and, on the surface, appeared to be the ideal president to handle the increasingly dangerous situation between the North and the South. He was a Unionist but also a states rights man and he represented the one political institution that still had a following both North and South; the Democratic party. Baker clearly demonstrates the reasons Buchanan was not the right man to save the Union.A few of Buchanan's leadership weaknesses covered include his hostile opinion of abolitionist groups that were fairly powerful even in his home state of Pennsylvania, his cavalier attitude towards the emerging Republican party (he called it a "geographical" and "dangerous" party which; an attitude that, in Bakers opinion, contributed to the growing schism between the North and South), his unrelenting loyalty towards his southern friends, and his arrogance in his own political abilities to save the Union. The author divides Buchanan's Presidency into three parts: the economic panic of 1857, crisis in Utah's Mormon community, and the near-war developing in the Kansas territory. The latter topic receives the most attention. Buchanan's unwavering support of the minority, pro-slavery Lecompton government clearly demonstrates where Buchanan's loyalties lay, alienating northern Democrats and even prompting a House investigation (p. 113). It is important to note that Buchanan had moral objections to slavery but did not believe the peculiar institution was worth endangering the Union. Even more revealing is what Buchanan did, or did not do, during the interim before Lincoln's inauguration.Baker shows that Buchanan was not a do-nothing President as some critics maintain, but a very active executive of the model of Jackson and Polk. He acted, however, for one side. Baker saves her harshest criticism for the end: "Buchanan's failing during the crisis over the Union was not inactivity, but rather his partiality for the South, a favoritism that bordered on disloyalty in an officer pledged to defend all the United States" (141). She implies that a different reaction to the events at Fort Sumter could have saved the Union; a position that is impossible to prove. Not very significant but one statement: "Buchanan was the last Democratic president for twenty-four years, until Grover Cleveland was elected in 1884" is incorrect without the qualification "last `elected' Democratic president" as Andrew Johnson was a Democrat (p. 119) For the most part, the book is clearly written; however, some areas (i.e. the difference between Buchanan's views on slavery versus Stephen A. Douglas' popular sovereignty) could have been better explained. The reader will need some background knowledge to fully understand this book. She does an excellent job, however, using Buchanan's upbringing and social habits to explain his affinity towards the South. She mentions his bachelorhood and alleged homosexuality but does not dwell on them. In my opinion, the author is tough on her subject but also fair. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Buchanan or the political situation on the brink of the Civil War yet does not have the time to read massive volumes.

Reviewer: Gio
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: And nooww... James! Buchanan!!!
Review: There are 72 reviews of this brief and simply-written biography of a President who came to office with superb qualifications and who bungled the job that perhaps no one could have done. I found the book quite adequate as an introduction to the decade of the 1850s. Causes have to precede effects; anyone interested in the causes of the Civil War ought to have a good look at the events that led to Buchanan's election, and the dismal decision Buchanan made in reaction to those events. Honestly, however, you needn't buy the book. Just read the 72 reviews herewith. It will take some patience, and some tolerance for bad syntax, but it will reveal just exactly how polarizing the Civil War was, and still is.This "American Presidents" series is surprisingly top notch. I also recommend the biography of US Grant, the most underrated and slandered chief exec of American history.

Reviewer: Peydirt18
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: "Old Buck" stopped there...
Review: Hindsight is always 20/20, and it is always easier to be a Monday Morning Quarterback. Given that President Buchanan immediately proceeded the immortal Abraham Lincoln, and, it seems, it has been almost universally accepted that Buchanan's polcies led us right into the Civil War, it is easy to throw stones at Old Buck. Regardless if you agreed with his policies, or not, it has to be admitted that this was an abysmal presidency.Elected as a strict interpretist of the Constitution, Buchanan was mired in hypocricy throught his presidency. He believed a weak executive limited his ability to "meddle" in domestic affairs. However, even though it does appear that if he could have been a little more forceful, he could have negated the cessation movement with a little force. On the flip side of the coin, he had no qualms using Federal troops to attack the Mormons in Utah for their polygamist practices.I agree with some of the other reviews that state the author had a tremendous bias against Buchanan, and due to that bias, the book is written from a slanted perspective. However, given how poorly his presidency went, I think even an objective review warrants a negative painting.I found it interesting that he was the only bachelor to take the White House, that there were rumors that he had a homosexual relationship, that he did not have to shave, he was cross-eyed, and turned down nominations to the Supreme Court on two occasions.I give this book 3 stars because I think it was well written, and researched, but, I think the bias against Buchanan for his "pro-southern sympathies" was a little too present in the writing.

Reviewer: Robert T. Hoeckel
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Das Buch war sehr interessant.