Nov. 30, 2010
State Of The Union 1860
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
President James Buchanan tried to straddle the fence on issues dividing the country after Abraham Lincoln’s election, believing the problems facing the nation were Lincoln’s to solve.
On Dec. 3, 1860 the outgoing president delivered his State of the Union address to a lame duck Congress. Buchanan attempted to please both the North and South, but fell short on both accounts.
The president blamed the looming issue of secession on the “intemperate interference of the northern people with the question of slavery.” He said each state had sovereignty and the right to determine the legality of slavery. Buchanan argued for a constitutional amendment protecting slavery in the slave states and territories, and annulling personal liberty laws in northern states. These laws were enacted in response to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 which mandated capture and return of runaway slaves to their owners. The president also recommended the acquisition of Cuba for the creation of a new slave state.
An attorney, Buchanan was strongly opposed to secession and believed it was illegal. He reprimanded the South for threats of secession and declared the Union was not “a mere voluntary association of States…to be annulled at the pleasure of any one of the contracting parties.” However, the president also commented that the federal government could not “coerce” a state to prevent it from seceding. He declared that while he would not take military action against any state for seceding, he would act to defend federal forts against attack.
As a compromiser, Buchanan hoped to keep his administration intact until the end of his term. However, he was portrayed in the North as a southern sympathizer and both the North and the South were subsequently dissatisfied with the speech.
The following day the House of Representatives attempted to address the issues by forming the Committee of Thirty-three to study the secession crisis and provide recommendations. The committee, composed of one member per state, was charged with reaching a compromise to preserve the Union.
Civil War Journal is produced by the Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation and Historic Beverly Preservation in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. For more information, please visit www.richmountain.org.
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State Of The Union 1860
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
President James Buchanan tried to straddle the fence on issues dividing the country after Abraham Lincoln’s election, believing the problems facing the nation were Lincoln’s to solve.
On Dec. 3, 1860 the outgoing president delivered his State of the Union address to a lame duck Congress. Buchanan attempted to please both the North and South, but fell short on both accounts.
The president blamed the looming issue of secession on the “intemperate interference of the northern people with the question of slavery.” He said each state had sovereignty and the right to determine the legality of slavery. Buchanan argued for a constitutional amendment protecting slavery in the slave states and territories, and annulling personal liberty laws in northern states. These laws were enacted in response to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 which mandated capture and return of runaway slaves to their owners. The president also recommended the acquisition of Cuba for the creation of a new slave state.
An attorney, Buchanan was strongly opposed to secession and believed it was illegal. He reprimanded the South for threats of secession and declared the Union was not “a mere voluntary association of States…to be annulled at the pleasure of any one of the contracting parties.” However, the president also commented that the federal government could not “coerce” a state to prevent it from seceding. He declared that while he would not take military action against any state for seceding, he would act to defend federal forts against attack.
As a compromiser, Buchanan hoped to keep his administration intact until the end of his term. However, he was portrayed in the North as a southern sympathizer and both the North and the South were subsequently dissatisfied with the speech.
The following day the House of Representatives attempted to address the issues by forming the Committee of Thirty-three to study the secession crisis and provide recommendations. The committee, composed of one member per state, was charged with reaching a compromise to preserve the Union.
Civil War Journal is produced by the Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation and Historic Beverly Preservation in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. For more information, please visit www.richmountain.org.
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