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Fantastically informative video as usual. Please do biographic on: Balian of Ibelin , Pope Alexander VI, Charles II of Spain, Shaka kaSenzangakhona, Sayid Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan, Hugh Cholmondeley 3rd Baron Delamere, Cecil Rhodes, Henry Morton Stanley, Rube Waddell, Sun Yat-Sen, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Patrice Lumumba, Lee Kuan Yew, Golda Meir, Thomas Sankara, Emperor Haile Selassie, Jean-Bédel Bokassa, Mobutu Sese Seko, Amilcar Cabral, Agostinho Neto and Benazir Bhutto.
Hey Simon, can you do a video about 'Gary Plauché' abduction & subsequent murder? I read an old news article & you'd do a great job of bringing the story to life 👍🏻
Your writer, Morris, absolutely nailed the summary of Buchanan's life: he failed in almost every way and his one potentially redeeming quality, a strong desire for compromise, was directed towards the one issue that absolutely shouldn't be compromised on, that being slavery.
He wasn't the only one either. Prior to Fort Sumpter, Lincoln also contemplated allowing the southern states to keep slavery, provided there was no further extension of it to any other territories in the country. I'd call that a pretty big compromise.
@@elagabalusrex390 To be fair, Lincoln was in the unenviable spot of trying to prevent a war from sparking when the powder barrel was already sparked. Buchanan on the other hand could have done, well, just about anything different and that could have possibly diverted America's path away from a Civil War, though that is a questionable belief. Personally, ever since slavery was allowed by the Founding fathers the war was practically inevitable, sooner or later the North and South were going to fight over that issue.
@@emckeon9766 A war sought for in every possible way by the South that the North bent over backwards to accomodate every step of the way, and even then the South shot first.
@@lonelyp1 I mean, for better or worse, Polk oversaw the biggest territorial expansion in U.S. history. That alone makes him a pretty important president in a historical sense.
Mine was on Garfield. It was fascinating and even at a young age I remember being quite sad that he'd served such a short term in office and there was so much he could have done.
Ironically mine was Abarham Lincoln, and it was one of the worst things ever! I wasn't interested in History at the time like I am now and my mom forced in in front of a lap top and wouldn't let me leave the table until it was done (It took that entire Saturday)
@@vardekpetrovic9716 Quite the opposite, he delayed it. As had his predecessors. Lincoln would have done the same, had not the South forced the issue and not given him a chance.
I just remember being in fourth grade in Pennsylvania & having my nun teacher tell us “there’s been one President from our state but he was a huge wimp and an embarrassment!” So there’s his legacy for you
Fun fact: Mongkut the great, Thailand king, sent a letter to Buchanan offering him elephants to fight in the civil war Buchanan already left office by the time the letter arrived. Abraham Lincoln became president and wrote back to Mongkut declining his offer
“Seen today, James Buchanan’s single term is like watching a clown car filled with nitroglycerin slowly roll towards an orphanage.” Possibly the best sentence in any of these scripts. 😂
Biden is heading towards becoming the Buchanan of our times unless he shows strength with the insurrectionists. He needs to show strength or USA could head towards the second Civil War within the next 10 years.
Buchanan may have meant well, but he was also a stubborn, arrogant man who refused to take a stand on anything when it needed to be done, despite watching his country tear itself apart.
In family letters back from the day, there is a letter from my great uncle to my great great grandmother - and it's fascinating how the supporters of the Union felt about things. In one of the letters, my great uncle wrote something to the effect of "Buchanan is such a weakling, Lincoln is a tough guy who will put those rebels in their place".
Seems like Buchanan is a great illustration of why people-pleasers don't make good leaders. Also of the phrase "He meant well." Forever damned with the faintest of praise, so ineffectual a man that he can't even really be cussed out like Andrew Jackson can be. He didn't do anything horrible. He didn't do anything great.
The worst thing a leader can be is weak. No matter how good the ideas in their head may be, if they don't have the strength of will to enact them then all he does is hold the door open for his enemies.
@@cmd31220 Incompetent is worse. They lead toward regression while believing themselves infallible. Lack of will is simply stagnation, not abject failure.
James Buchanan sympathized with the South, and he wanted Kansas to be a slave state. He listened to his heart rather than his head, even when the South clearly became traitors. He likely didn't ever mean well, maybe he convinced himself he did.
He did actively do some things that were horrible. Dred Scott? Largely his fault. The SCOTUS was just going to rule that slaves couldn't sue for freedom just because they entered free states, until Buchanan got involved...
What else could he have done? Remember that until slave states left the union, he could not have gotten anything passed. If he did, they would have left earlier.
James Buchanan grew up in Lancaster pa (my hometown) in middle school on the way to Gettysburg my teacher stopped and showed the class his grave in Lancaster city, it was covered in graffiti and vandalized.
I grew up in Lancaster as well and went on plenty of class trips to Wheatland (as well as Gettysburg). My HS history teacher declared him "America's worst president", which always stuck with me.
In the Buchanan research I've done, I found letters where Buchanan wanted Polk to purchase Cuba from Spain, as Spain was in desperate need of money, and it was Polk who felt it was the right of the US to simply take the island by force and added Buchanan's name to the cable for someone to blame if the plan went south.
@@williamstonesmith7971 I mean it would be interesting if Cuba had been part of America we would truly be as self reliant as we could be when it comes to almost any resource needed.
You missed a few things: * That ex-fiance who died? Well, her family blamed Buchanan for that and wrecked his legal career out of spite, necessitating his turn to politics. * Jackson made him the ambassador to Russia just to get him as far away from the country as possible, famously declaring that he'd have sent Buchanan to the North Pole if he could, "but we don't have an embassy there." * His trips abroad gave others the (incorrect) belief that he had some diplomatic/political know-how, to the point of where Ulysses S. Grant voted for him out of fear that his opponent would "cause a civil war." Hmm, why do I hear foreboding music in the background?
Another thing was an infamous argument between him and Douglas, during which Buchanan made some (thinly) veiled threats about those who take on the Democrats. Douglas sneered, "Jackson is dead."
"A man who always went both right and left when it suited him, changing stances the way a chameleon changes colors and who, in the end, gained nothing at all. And by nothing at all, I mean failure."
I ddn't see it that way at all. He didn't see anything wrong with slavery. His boyfriend owned the biggest slave plantation in Alabama with over 500 slaves.
@@all_things_datanot at all. Joe Biden has been consistently liberal his whole life, you can say that about trump tho considering he was literally a registered democrat prior to 2012 or something. I hate how slow you guys are. It’s fine that you are evil and want a fascist in office, but you don’t even have good talking points
Can we get a Franklin Pierce vid next? Or, if that’s too controversial...can we get a George Carlin video? Man was an absolute LEGEND as the Great Simon Whistler would say.
Lets be honest, Buchanan was a gay man who lost his lover back in 1853. His lover was the previous Vice President who he was going to run for office with. William R. King was a southern plantation owner. If you don't think that didn't affect Buchanan's flirtation with the south you are kidding yourself.
If you judge the worst president by how many Americans he killed, Buchanan wins the title hands down. By my count almost a million Americans died or were wounded in the civil war which was totally Buchanan’s fault. Washington, Jackson and Taylor faced similar situations as Buchanan.
@@bryantstudentd3831it wasn’t about stopping the civil war, he didn’t have the courage to tell the south that they couldn’t leave. Abe threatened their way of living to encourage them not to leave the south (ending slavery). He even fought for it. If not for Abe, we would be two different countries today.
@Mr.Mustgohard Do you honestly think that southern secessionists cared what the president said? Furthermore, Lincoln was most certainly not solely responsible for holding the country together. I'd say that the generals were far more effective at winning the war.
@@bryantstudentd3831 Buchanan didn’t tell them not to succeed though. He asked them to wait until he was out of office. Abe was the man who had the courage to tell them if they leave they would go to war behind it. They tried and lost. The generals were instrumental, but they needed the support of the president to stand behind them with funding and troops. Even in Abe last years he wrote that he wondered would he be remembered as a good president. Actually one of the best. He went into office when nobody wanted the job. James Buchanan was a weak man who created hard times. The south was getting rich off other people labor and even when the machines could replace slave labor they still wouldn’t change. We can debate this all day I’m a history buff and can show you any evidence you need.
When the country literally disintegrates on your watch, you're probably going to get bottom marks. Modern presidents should learn a thing or two from old Jamesy.
"Americans have conveniently misled themselves about the presidency of James Buchanan, preferring to classify him as indecisive and inactive... In fact 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. He was that most dangerous of chief executives, a stubborn, mistaken ideologue whose principles held no room for compromise. His experience in government had only rendered him too self-confident to consider other views. In his betrayal of the national trust, Buchanan came closer to committing treason than any other president in American history." ~Jean Baker, 2004
I disagree. Trump was willing to compromise more than the media would report. Personality aside, Trump was a very effective leader, whether you love or hate his political ideals.
@@j.p.obregon1415 Well, his handling of COVID was rather sloppy, but a part of me wants to chalk that up to inexperience. And he could've pulled a Grover Cleveland and run for a second, non-consecutive term, but instead, he destroyed any hope he had of getting another shot at the White House.
@@j.p.obregon1415 No, no he wasn't. He blew Covid, got impeached twice and was only saved because the GOP Senate stopped the hearing, stacked the Supreme Court, even forcing a judge in weeks before an election, tanked the US economy, squandered US status around the world, sucked up to dictators like Putin and Kim and stoked tensions in the US to a near boiling point. Now with his constant lies of electoral fraud he can't even be a good loser.
@@j.p.obregon1415 Well that's like praising Stalin as a "very effective leader". Indeed he was, whether you love or hate his political ideals. But removing "love" or "hate" from the equation, when assessing political leaders, is basically...impossible. And even kind of dangerous. In my opinion, Trump's antics (his lies, essentially) after the 2020 election, along with January 6th, qualify him as the worst president in American history. Reflecting back on it, I still can't believe it happened. Trump is the biggest threat to American Democracy that I have ever personally seen. It's astonishing how close to the precipice he brought this nation last winter... I have no shame expressing how much I *hate* what he represents. To hell with him.
11:05 - Polk's campaign slogan was actually "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!" referring to the uppermost boundary of the disputed Oregon Territory. Forty-five forty would have represented a craven concession far beneath the land-hungry denizens of Manifest Destiny.
Can you please do a video on General Winfield Scott? The longest serving US General whose career was sandwiched between the American Revolution and the Civil War
So do horrible leaders thou, consensus is he was stupid consensus doesn’t equal correct or educated It doesn’t take 1000 people to agree something is wrong, it only takes 1 person with a well reasoned argument to prove something wrong Lemmings will follow
@@ikexbankai Segregated the federal govt Legitimized the KKK Was instrumental in validating the Lost Cause narrative Aided in creating the Federal Reserve Opposed women voting/suffrage Prolonged WW1 through inaction Forced the League of Nations into the Treaty of Versailles, which caused the "War Guilt Clause"; arguably leading to the rise of National Socialism (AKA... Nazism) Wilsonian Intervention, which has been a staple of US foreign policy ever since He makes Reagan, Bush, and Trump look like boy scouts. Jackson is a bastard, but no where near the long term or global effects Wilson had.
1:25 - Chapter 1 - The end of the party 4:50 - Chapter 2 - Nor woman neither 8:30 - Mid roll ads 9:40 - Chapter 3 - In the shadows of greatness 13:10 - Chapter 4 - Atop the volcano 16:45 - Chapter 5 - Triumph 19:40 - Chapter 6 - Disaster
As someone that is interested in Constitutional Law and is seeking to become a Constitutional Lawyer, I never knew that the Supreme Court found parts of the Missouri Compromise to be unconstitutional and their ruling made it to where people in the north could vote to make their state a slave state if they wanted. What's also crazy, is that it took 37 years for the Supreme Court to make a ruling on it.
I was surprised to learn that Buchanan has a not-insignificantly sized memorial built in his honor in DC. I really wonder who thought he was worthy of such a dignity. Several much better presidents don't have anything so grand dedicated to them in the city.
My people came to this country in 1751 from Scotland. We have been here helping to forge this Country and defend it from the beginning. Though I am not proud of my distant ancestor, I am very proud of family and our role in helping to build and defend America. EVERY War this country has seen, has also had one of my ancestors fighting in it and sometimes dying. One cannot deny the complexity of politics, nor the horrible atrocities that were committed in order to build this country. But in rebuttal, one can not Deny thee spectacular Beacon of freedom in which this country now holds. I Am Proud of that. What has your family done???
Late response but former President Buchanan is my first cousin, six times removed so we're likely related. I have a profile on Family Search and Relative Finder and currently studying the ties with the Buchanan line. 🙂
Lies. Ive supposed been bred from a Royal bloodline going back to Harald I, first Catholic King of Norway, England, Bloody Mary and much of the American colonies even after they began to be marked USA. Ill need two belt held Colt model of 1851 revolvers. Im already armed with the stories of who and what those are for.
I'm so confused. Is this just some weird brag, are you arguing something, or are you trying to defend random wars? And wtf does any of that have to do with the video? 😂
I believe he would be a good example of a stupid person according the the Five Laws of Stupidity graph. Making decisions that negatively affected himself and everyone else.
OMG, "...like watching a clown car filled with nitroglycerin slowly rolling towards an orphanage. Pathetic, fascinating, and tragic all at once..." Absolutely brilliant, I couldn't stop laughing
@@ruthbaker5281 you're right. Trump is near the top of the list of presidents and Buchanon is near the bottom with Obama, Biden, Carter, Wilson, and FDR. Great point.
I thought of an idea for an episode that would mix communism with a royal disappearance/murder. The last king of Laos abdicated when the communist Pathet Lao seized power. He remained in the country, but was whisked away to a re-education camp in 1977 following a failed attempt to rescue him. After that all we have are scattered clues, rumors, contradictory official statements, and one strange photo that raised more questions than answers. The communist government claimed he died a year later of malaria, but later said that he died in 1984. Others claim he died of forced labor, or that he was locked in a cave and died of neglect. The queen and crown prince went with him, and also disappeared. It should make a good episode for one of your channels.
I was aware of that story, though I don't know any more than you outlined in your post. I actually visited Laos, and saw the former royal palace, now a museum, in Luang Prabang. I have thought that would make a very good subject for a video, but also felt it was probably too obscure a story to interest a lot of people. Also, many of the crucial facts are probably still unavailable to any foreign researcher. I was happily surprised to read your suggestion of it, but I won't get my hopes up.
I visited Laos for three weeks in 2001, and spent a few days in Luang Prabang 10 years later. It is easily one of my favorite countries, and Luang Prabang must be my favorite city. The really eerie thing was what I found in the royal funeral chapel at Wat Xing Tong. There were royal items crammed into old cabinets and piled on shelves in no real order, like time had stopped in 1975. When I went back in 2011 it looked more like a museum. There is a very good book about the fate of the king titled “Stalking the Elephant Kings” by Christopher Kremmer. He managed to uncover a number of clues and eyewitnesses, but in the end couldn’t come up with a clear answer as to what happened.
That's because people can't be objective and fair . History will judge and time needs to go by . Everything is just so fresh and raw people can't separate thier emotions. It's too tribal like Yankees Red Sox .
I'm deeply curious what's going through these people's heads when they type that, if it's just ignorant political mudslinging or if they genuinely think 45 or Joe Brandon is legitimately worse than the guy who ended his term with less states in the Union than when he started it.
I believe that Buchanan was the second-worst. Franklin Pierce was the worst for having signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, after which the die was cast. Buchanan inherited that mess and should have moved strongly to quell it, but did not.
I’d argue that Woodrow Wilson takes the title. He segregated the federal govt, legitimized the KKK and revisionist history of the Confederacy, aided in creating the Federal Reserve, prolonged WW1 by his refusal to get involved, and his Wilsonian Intervention ideals still live on today in US foreign policy. And that’s just to name a few.
@@stlchucko I would add that his idealist vision for the Versailles Treaty was wrong-headed and I agree that he was not a good Pres. He was a president of poor actions while Pierce and Buchanan were presidents of inaction.
According to my family records, I have an ancestor from the civil war era literally named Van Buren, like his first name was Van Buren lol... I think some parents want to name their kids after presidents but don’t like their first names or don’t think they’re recognizable enough
Knew a guy named Buchanan (surname) at AIT in Pensacola, FL. Called him Bucky. During a midnight company-wide breathalyzer test, he tried to disguise his drunkenness by chewing gum. It didn't work.
From what I read, Buchanan was morally opposed to slavery, but also thought that it was protected by the constitution... Which tbf you could make a decent argument for (at this time, before Lincoln showed up and did his thing) since the constitution had a few things kinda acknowledging the existence of slavery though not really explicitly going to into detail about it or whether it is protected... And also the constitution definitely does protect people's property and one could argue that since 'property' is socially constructed and socially slaves were property, it naturally follows that the constitution protected slavery in that sense... But y'know then the 14th amendment happened which definitely changes things (well, it really just made it so for someone to be a slave they needed to also be a convict) and also with the supreme court it's their job to interpret the constitution how they see fit and so while you maybe can't change the constitution very easily (especially these days) in the US compared to many other nations, it is a lot easier to instead just have the supreme court change how the constitution is interpreted to end up with the same sort of effect...
Hopefully Biographics with be able to make a video on these former presidents in the foreseeable future: Grover Cleveland Andrew Jackson Chester A. Arthur Woodrow Wilson John Adams Thomas Jefferson James Madison James Monroe William Howard Taft James Garfield John Quincy Adams
Now, I'm fairly certain Woodrow Wilson is indisputably the worst president of the US, both in that he was a terrible person and in that he was a poor, borderline incompetent leader, but getting a few minutes in has reminded me that Buchanan was the guy in charge before Lincoln and the Civil War. Still don't think he can be as bad as the guy who spearheaded the "Lost Cause" myth about that war (which is the thing that has southerners convinced the south did not try to leave over slavery when, if you read their secession notices, they definitely were fighting for slavery), and fucked up dealing with WWI spectacularly, and only even got elected because the republicans were split between wanting an actual republican and remembering how effective a leader Teddy Roosevelt was (Bull Moose guys, that was the correct choice.) But maybe Buchanan can earn a silver medal in this race.
I disagree, the Wilson administration had lots of flaws and the person himself is terrible but he did pass some good laws, like the income tax, the Antitrust acts, the National Park Service Act, and the direct election of Senators. Wilson had terrible things about his presidency also, such as segregating the federal government, the Sedition Act, the Espionage Act, and ignored the lynching of black Americans. He presidency had flaws and greats, he is not the worst president.
The final comments neatly wrap up exactly why Buchanan’s administration is deemed a failure by today’s standards. In his day however, there was no precedent for the federal government usurping power from the states - the entire federal system was originally founded as a confederation of individual states. Over time this was slowly morphing into the stronger federal government we have today - it’s easy for us to assume that we’ve always had a strong central government, but that just wasn’t the case back then. His administration, like the few before him, were charged with the unenviable task of trying to make a compromise out of a situation where no compromise was really possible. Everyone was trying to avoid the bloodshed of a civil war, that was unfortunately inevitable - trouble was that Buchanan was the guy in the barrel when it all came to a head. It could actually be argued that a weak administration like Buchanan’s was instrumental and actually necessary in order to spur the existence of one like Lincoln’s, thereby putting in motion the events needed to settle the slavery issue once and for all.
James Buchanan was certainly not a very good president, but I would personally argue that Woodrow Wilson was easily worse, and definitively the worst president of all time. His disastrous policies both foreign and domestic are largely responsible for nearly every major world conflict since (and debatably including) World War II, and are also partially responsible for the intense political divide we find ourselves in in the United States today.
I think Wilson is a shoo-in for "most overrated President". He was held up as one of the greats for many historians for decades, and I cannot for the life of me figure out *why.*
@@dravenocklost4253 So recent historians time-travelled back several decades to write history books lionizing Woodrow Wilson in spite of his foreign policy blunders and disgusting, virulent racism for...reasons?
@@desylid5915 not the most open line of thinking IMO. Plenty of republican presidents are absolutely guilty of following in Wilson's foreign policy footsteps too not just dems, namely Eisenhower, Reagan, and both the Bushes, and you really only ever see serious criticism of Bush Jr for it. If you ask me, it all comes down to recency bias. Not many people are gonna criticize Wilson in the modern era, not because he was a progressive dem, but because his administration was in power over a century ago.
@@PoopaChallupa Biden isn’t responsible for 800,000 covid deaths. But considering how Trumpler lied about how dangerous it is, and how he ignored experts and did nothing for far too long, looks like Buchanan won’t be at the bottom any longer. Even Buchanan got more done than trumpler, who mostly just bragged, lies, and played golf.
I still find it Crazy that, while I'm done with college my thirst for knowledge has skyrocketed. I want to thank you for giving me a non-biased source for this knowledge. I find non-biased sources to be really hard to come by these days. It's also kind of sad, that I learned more about the USA from this guy than from my American Teachers. Better late than never I guess.
John Tyler should be considered America's worst retired president. He not only actively supported the Confederacy but was also elected to the confederate congress.
That was interesting, honestly I had pretty much forgotten he ever was one of our presidents and sadly without a good grasp of his lack of leadership it's hard to understand what led up to the demise of one of our most talked about presidents, Abraham Lincoln.
I mean from my experience each president tries hard to out do the last one as worst ever. However I know the President is only part of a greater problem in our politics… merely a reflection of the party they represent.
Humans are capable of such debauchery! So, this reality provides quite a wide range of possibilities. Humans are also capable of great good, it just hardly rears itself in those holding positions of power and authority.
@@fredbowles4721 Stagflation is done by the greedy, and Putin caused the war. Gas prices are fine. Way better to have Biden than a greedy insurrectionist felon who is gleeful about less rights for women
11:06 Correction: Polk's battle cry was "Fifty-four forty or fight," not “Forty Five Forty” That would put the border further south than the current US Canadian border at the 49th parallel.
If you'd like to try out Brilliant for free and get 20% off a year of STEM learning, click the link in the description down below or visit: www.brilliant.org/biographics
Fantastically informative video as usual. Please do biographic on: Balian of Ibelin , Pope Alexander VI, Charles II of Spain, Shaka kaSenzangakhona, Sayid Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan, Hugh Cholmondeley 3rd Baron Delamere, Cecil Rhodes, Henry Morton Stanley, Rube Waddell, Sun Yat-Sen, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Patrice Lumumba, Lee Kuan Yew, Golda Meir, Thomas Sankara, Emperor Haile Selassie, Jean-Bédel Bokassa, Mobutu Sese Seko, Amilcar Cabral, Agostinho Neto and Benazir Bhutto.
Hey Simon, can you do a video about 'Gary Plauché' abduction & subsequent murder? I read an old news article & you'd do a great job of bringing the story to life 👍🏻
Simon are you going to do video about BoJo ( Boris Johnson) as worst Uk prime minister?
You should do a video on Paul Von Hindenburg
You should do a bio for Martin Luther.
James Buchanan is historical proof that when you try to please everyone, you please no one
James Buchanan is historical POOF
@@StanSwan it don't matter really, but it's never a good thing to have a screaming queen in charge of a nation
@@invisibleray6987 You do know Trump is bi right?
@@StanSwan no way is trump a limp wrist....that guy is 110% ladies man
@@invisibleray6987 Trump never had sex he did not pay for.
Your writer, Morris, absolutely nailed the summary of Buchanan's life: he failed in almost every way and his one potentially redeeming quality, a strong desire for compromise, was directed towards the one issue that absolutely shouldn't be compromised on, that being slavery.
He wasn't the only one either. Prior to Fort Sumpter, Lincoln also contemplated allowing the southern states to keep slavery, provided there was no further extension of it to any other territories in the country. I'd call that a pretty big compromise.
@@elagabalusrex390 To be fair, Lincoln was in the unenviable spot of trying to prevent a war from sparking when the powder barrel was already sparked. Buchanan on the other hand could have done, well, just about anything different and that could have possibly diverted America's path away from a Civil War, though that is a questionable belief.
Personally, ever since slavery was allowed by the Founding fathers the war was practically inevitable, sooner or later the North and South were going to fight over that issue.
Well he didn't fail in everything, he did become a President didn't he?
@@DaHuntsman1 bruh Lincoln instigated the war but ok lmfao
@@emckeon9766 A war sought for in every possible way by the South that the North bent over backwards to accomodate every step of the way, and even then the South shot first.
Back in 5th grade he was the president I had to do my research on. One of the hardest essays ever.
I got James K Polk, Never heard of him before or since.
@@lonelyp1 I mean, for better or worse, Polk oversaw the biggest territorial expansion in U.S. history. That alone makes him a pretty important president in a historical sense.
Mine was on Garfield. It was fascinating and even at a young age I remember being quite sad that he'd served such a short term in office and there was so much he could have done.
Biden is the worst. He's against The American people
Ironically mine was Abarham Lincoln, and it was one of the worst things ever! I wasn't interested in History at the time like I am now and my mom forced in in front of a lap top and wouldn't let me leave the table until it was done (It took that entire Saturday)
James Buchanan: Every presidential historian's personal punching bag
If America survives we have a new candidate for the title of worst President ever.
@@dangreene8576 No
@@dangreene8576 "Had", not "have". TFG 45 is gone.
@@vardekpetrovic9716 Quite the opposite, he delayed it. As had his predecessors. Lincoln would have done the same, had not the South forced the issue and not given him a chance.
I’m black and I’d rather have trump in office than biden
I just remember being in fourth grade in Pennsylvania & having my nun teacher tell us “there’s been one President from our state but he was a huge wimp and an embarrassment!” So there’s his legacy for you
Damn😂😂😂
Now there’s two...and the second one told the first, “Hold my beer...I’m gonna make you look great”
Sad that this is our only presidential rep from PA
@@NightDenizen0 Technically, not. Biden was born in PA...so we have two embarrassments.
@@kfeltenberger haha true
"... Is like watching a clown car filled with nitroglycern slowly roll towards an orphanage."
That just made me laugh so hard.
Yeah I burst out loud at that
Now in 2023 we also have a clown car in the White House
Fun fact: Mongkut the great, Thailand king, sent a letter to Buchanan offering him elephants to fight in the civil war
Buchanan already left office by the time the letter arrived. Abraham Lincoln became president and wrote back to Mongkut declining his offer
Why on earth would he reject it haha take them war elephants 😂
@@callumstanden7149 the king thought they were still living in the time before the steam engine existed. You know, like ancient times or something
The true man I would of taken to offer for a laugh haha
@@callumstanden7149 😝 yes sir
Fun fact: Every US president that had a beard was a Republican.
“Seen today, James Buchanan’s single term is like watching a clown car filled with nitroglycerin slowly roll towards an orphanage.”
Possibly the best sentence in any of these scripts. 😂
Agree!
Agreed
that comment made my gray cold day here in the forest in scandinavia get better. gold! 😂
@@aliengrogg2284 same here in the early dawn of northern Canada, as I give up waking the kids for school as they seem to be in a sleep coma. 😅
Biden is heading towards becoming the Buchanan of our times unless he shows strength with the insurrectionists. He needs to show strength or USA could head towards the second Civil War within the next 10 years.
Buchanan may have meant well, but he was also a stubborn, arrogant man who refused to take a stand on anything when it needed to be done, despite watching his country tear itself apart.
In family letters back from the day, there is a letter from my great uncle to my great great grandmother - and it's fascinating how the supporters of the Union felt about things. In one of the letters, my great uncle wrote something to the effect of "Buchanan is such a weakling, Lincoln is a tough guy who will put those rebels in their place".
That is amazing family history, keep that letter safe!
@@seandawson5899 I agree. Such material is valuable to history.
@@kathrynseton1 I've considered sending the letter to an Ohio museum as my ancestors were from that state. But not there yet
@@johnmassoud930 you should keep the letter imo
@@reznov129 why?
Seems like Buchanan is a great illustration of why people-pleasers don't make good leaders. Also of the phrase "He meant well." Forever damned with the faintest of praise, so ineffectual a man that he can't even really be cussed out like Andrew Jackson can be. He didn't do anything horrible. He didn't do anything great.
The worst thing a leader can be is weak. No matter how good the ideas in their head may be, if they don't have the strength of will to enact them then all he does is hold the door open for his enemies.
@@cmd31220 Incompetent is worse. They lead toward regression while believing themselves infallible.
Lack of will is simply stagnation, not abject failure.
James Buchanan sympathized with the South, and he wanted Kansas to be a slave state. He listened to his heart rather than his head, even when the South clearly became traitors. He likely didn't ever mean well, maybe he convinced himself he did.
He did actively do some things that were horrible. Dred Scott? Largely his fault. The SCOTUS was just going to rule that slaves couldn't sue for freedom just because they entered free states, until Buchanan got involved...
What else could he have done? Remember that until slave states left the union, he could not have gotten anything passed. If he did, they would have left earlier.
I so enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work, Simon.
James Buchanan grew up in Lancaster pa (my hometown) in middle school on the way to Gettysburg my teacher stopped and showed the class his grave in Lancaster city, it was covered in graffiti and vandalized.
Did you ever visit his house? One nice thing can be said about him: his house, Wheatland, is lovely.
I understand it's one of the worst-preserved presidential graves.
That's a shame, yeah he was awful but he still has history to his name... someone's gotta be at the bottom and he took it with pride
Vandalizing a grave is such a despicable act. Do and say what ever you think, but messing with a persons last resting place is just plain wrong.
I grew up in Lancaster as well and went on plenty of class trips to Wheatland (as well as Gettysburg). My HS history teacher declared him "America's worst president", which always stuck with me.
In the Buchanan research I've done, I found letters where Buchanan wanted Polk to purchase Cuba from Spain, as Spain was in desperate need of money, and it was Polk who felt it was the right of the US to simply take the island by force and added Buchanan's name to the cable for someone to blame if the plan went south.
Charlie T. - Think about it; the Cubans certainly would have been better off if it had been taken over by the ‘States.
@@williamstonesmith7971 I mean it would be interesting if Cuba had been part of America we would truly be as self reliant as we could be when it comes to almost any resource needed.
@@MrJack1992 - Don't know as to the resources, but look at the poverty, degradation Cuba has been subjected to since the communist takeover.
@@williamstonesmith7971 I mean Cuba should have been bought out by America in the 1800s.
Buchanan himself always had an interest in annexing Cuba.
You missed a few things:
* That ex-fiance who died? Well, her family blamed Buchanan for that and wrecked his legal career out of spite, necessitating his turn to politics.
* Jackson made him the ambassador to Russia just to get him as far away from the country as possible, famously declaring that he'd have sent Buchanan to the North Pole if he could, "but we don't have an embassy there."
* His trips abroad gave others the (incorrect) belief that he had some diplomatic/political know-how, to the point of where Ulysses S. Grant voted for him out of fear that his opponent would "cause a civil war." Hmm, why do I hear foreboding music in the background?
I recall reading as a child Buchanan never married; Buchanan's niece was the equivalent of the first lady.
Another thing was an infamous argument between him and Douglas, during which Buchanan made some (thinly) veiled threats about those who take on the Democrats. Douglas sneered, "Jackson is dead."
“Whatever the result may be, I shall carry to my grave the consciousness that I at least meant well for my country”
James Buchanan
"Sure you did, Jim."
~Smartass
"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."
@@IanAlcorn He didn't even have good intentions: he tried to protect the expansion of slavery. The guy was borderline, if not outright, treasonous.
@@pyromania1018 straight up, no sympathies from me
Certain pigs can not say the same thing
"A man who always went both right and left when it suited him, changing stances the way a chameleon changes colors and who, in the end, gained nothing at all. And by nothing at all, I mean failure."
If you think about it, it sounds like Joe Biden.
I ddn't see it that way at all. He didn't see anything wrong with slavery. His boyfriend owned the biggest slave plantation in Alabama with over 500 slaves.
@@all_things_datanot at all. Joe Biden has been consistently liberal his whole life, you can say that about trump tho considering he was literally a registered democrat prior to 2012 or something. I hate how slow you guys are. It’s fine that you are evil and want a fascist in office, but you don’t even have good talking points
I love how he shut the political argument down immediately
Can we get a Franklin Pierce vid next? Or, if that’s too controversial...can we get a George Carlin video? Man was an absolute LEGEND as the Great Simon Whistler would say.
Agreed
@@franklinpierce176 Mr. President, pleasure you meet you.
Pierce was unlucky, he was beset with personnel tragedies.
President Franklin Pierce or George Carlin videos? Hmm... I vote for both! Please & thank you.
Franklin Pierce’s life was just sad overall.
It's fascinating how Buchanan had a role, however big or small, in the fracturing leading to the civil war.
I dont think there is anything that anyone could have done to stop it.
Lets be honest, Buchanan was a gay man who lost his lover back in 1853. His lover was the previous Vice President who he was going to run for office with. William R. King was a southern plantation owner. If you don't think that didn't affect Buchanan's flirtation with the south you are kidding yourself.
If you judge the worst president by how many Americans he killed, Buchanan wins the title hands down. By my count almost a million Americans died or were wounded in the civil war which was totally Buchanan’s fault. Washington, Jackson and Taylor faced similar situations as Buchanan.
@@WilliamLee-ue6yqHow would you have stopped the civil war?
@@bryantstudentd3831it wasn’t about stopping the civil war, he didn’t have the courage to tell the south that they couldn’t leave. Abe threatened their way of living to encourage them not to leave the south (ending slavery). He even fought for it. If not for Abe, we would be two different countries today.
@Mr.Mustgohard Do you honestly think that southern secessionists cared what the president said?
Furthermore, Lincoln was most certainly not solely responsible for holding the country together.
I'd say that the generals were far more effective at winning the war.
@@bryantstudentd3831 Buchanan didn’t tell them not to succeed though. He asked them to wait until he was out of office. Abe was the man who had the courage to tell them if they leave they would go to war behind it. They tried and lost. The generals were instrumental, but they needed the support of the president to stand behind them with funding and troops. Even in Abe last years he wrote that he wondered would he be remembered as a good president. Actually one of the best. He went into office when nobody wanted the job. James Buchanan was a weak man who created hard times. The south was getting rich off other people labor and even when the machines could replace slave labor they still wouldn’t change. We can debate this all day I’m a history buff and can show you any evidence you need.
When the country literally disintegrates on your watch, you're probably going to get bottom marks. Modern presidents should learn a thing or two from old Jamesy.
1st draft pick tho.. Watch who comes next.
Somewhere in the Afterlife James Buchanan is laughing his head off looking at TFG's train wreck of a Presidency.
"Americans have conveniently misled themselves about the presidency of James Buchanan, preferring to classify him as indecisive and inactive... In fact 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. He was that most dangerous of chief executives, a stubborn, mistaken ideologue whose principles held no room for compromise. His experience in government had only rendered him too self-confident to consider other views. In his betrayal of the national trust, Buchanan came closer to committing treason than any other president in American history."
~Jean Baker, 2004
Except for the 1st sentence, you can literally replace "Buchanon" with "Trump" and "South" with "MAGA" and be 100% accurate.
I disagree. Trump was willing to compromise more than the media would report. Personality aside, Trump was a very effective leader, whether you love or hate his political ideals.
@@j.p.obregon1415 Well, his handling of COVID was rather sloppy, but a part of me wants to chalk that up to inexperience. And he could've pulled a Grover Cleveland and run for a second, non-consecutive term, but instead, he destroyed any hope he had of getting another shot at the White House.
@@j.p.obregon1415 No, no he wasn't. He blew Covid, got impeached twice and was only saved because the GOP Senate stopped the hearing, stacked the Supreme Court, even forcing a judge in weeks before an election, tanked the US economy, squandered US status around the world, sucked up to dictators like Putin and Kim and stoked tensions in the US to a near boiling point. Now with his constant lies of electoral fraud he can't even be a good loser.
@@j.p.obregon1415 Well that's like praising Stalin as a "very effective leader". Indeed he was, whether you love or hate his political ideals. But removing "love" or "hate" from the equation, when assessing political leaders, is basically...impossible. And even kind of dangerous.
In my opinion, Trump's antics (his lies, essentially) after the 2020 election, along with January 6th, qualify him as the worst president in American history. Reflecting back on it, I still can't believe it happened. Trump is the biggest threat to American Democracy that I have ever personally seen. It's astonishing how close to the precipice he brought this nation last winter...
I have no shame expressing how much I *hate* what he represents. To hell with him.
11:05 - Polk's campaign slogan was actually "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!" referring to the uppermost boundary of the disputed Oregon Territory. Forty-five forty would have represented a craven concession far beneath the land-hungry denizens of Manifest Destiny.
Can you please do a video on General Winfield Scott? The longest serving US General whose career was sandwiched between the American Revolution and the Civil War
Not to mention the man whose actions saved us from a THIRD war with Britain.
A great leader doesn't seek a consensus…he creates it.
So do horrible leaders thou, consensus is he was stupid consensus doesn’t equal correct or educated
It doesn’t take 1000 people to agree something is wrong, it only takes 1 person with a well reasoned argument to prove something wrong
Lemmings will follow
That leaves Trump out
David15585 that leaves all Americans out
“Buchanan is the worst POTUS”
**Laughs in Woodrow Wilson**
Laughs in Andrew Jackson
Laughs in Trump
Laughs in Bush
Laughs in Reagan
Laughs in the other Jackson lol
@@ikexbankai
Segregated the federal govt
Legitimized the KKK
Was instrumental in validating the Lost Cause narrative
Aided in creating the Federal Reserve
Opposed women voting/suffrage
Prolonged WW1 through inaction
Forced the League of Nations into the Treaty of Versailles, which caused the "War Guilt Clause"; arguably leading to the rise of National Socialism (AKA... Nazism)
Wilsonian Intervention, which has been a staple of US foreign policy ever since
He makes Reagan, Bush, and Trump look like boy scouts. Jackson is a bastard, but no where near the long term or global effects Wilson had.
I'm not shilling for Wilson, but at least his presidency wasn't followed by a civil war.
Biden: hold my lemonade
@@carlramirez6339
Buchanan was ineffective in doing much of anything. Wilson was very effective in making a lot of bad things happen.
1:25 - Chapter 1 - The end of the party
4:50 - Chapter 2 - Nor woman neither
8:30 - Mid roll ads
9:40 - Chapter 3 - In the shadows of greatness
13:10 - Chapter 4 - Atop the volcano
16:45 - Chapter 5 - Triumph
19:40 - Chapter 6 - Disaster
0:28 - "Let's Go BrAndon!"
Like Hoover, got in charge of sinking ship
As someone that is interested in Constitutional Law and is seeking to become a Constitutional Lawyer, I never knew that the Supreme Court found parts of the Missouri Compromise to be unconstitutional and their ruling made it to where people in the north could vote to make their state a slave state if they wanted. What's also crazy, is that it took 37 years for the Supreme Court to make a ruling on it.
I was surprised to learn that Buchanan has a not-insignificantly sized memorial built in his honor in DC. I really wonder who thought he was worthy of such a dignity. Several much better presidents don't have anything so grand dedicated to them in the city.
I think every president with the exception of Trump has something dedicated to them in DC, although the scale does vary.
@@williamkesler2373 Trump has a hotel I guess
@@williamkesler2373 im sure that due to how recent Trump was in office
A wooden, unpolished casket suffices for great righteous men. Their lives are their monuments.
My people came to this country in 1751 from Scotland. We have been here helping to forge this Country and defend it from the beginning. Though I am not proud of my distant ancestor, I am very proud of family and our role in helping to build and defend America. EVERY War this country has seen, has also had one of my ancestors fighting in it and sometimes dying. One cannot deny the complexity of politics, nor the horrible atrocities that were committed in order to build this country. But in rebuttal, one can not Deny thee spectacular Beacon of freedom in which this country now holds. I Am Proud of that. What has your family done???
Late response but former President Buchanan is my first cousin, six times removed so we're likely related. I have a profile on Family Search and Relative Finder and currently studying the ties with the Buchanan line. 🙂
Lies. Ive supposed been bred from a Royal bloodline going back to Harald I, first Catholic King of Norway, England, Bloody Mary and much of the American colonies even after they began to be marked USA.
Ill need two belt held Colt model of 1851 revolvers. Im already armed with the stories of who and what those are for.
I'm so confused. Is this just some weird brag, are you arguing something, or are you trying to defend random wars? And wtf does any of that have to do with the video? 😂
I believe he would be a good example of a stupid person according the the Five Laws of Stupidity graph. Making decisions that negatively affected himself and everyone else.
Erdogan be like
OMG, "...like watching a clown car filled with nitroglycerin slowly rolling towards an orphanage. Pathetic, fascinating, and tragic all at once..."
Absolutely brilliant, I couldn't stop laughing
Great work as always sir! I have to add that “indigenous associates” is now one of my favorite phrases!
Excited to watch this one. As a person from Lancaster I've always been a bit proud that our claim to fame is the worst president of all time lmao.
Don’t worry. It won’t take long for historians to put Trump right there above Buchanan.
@@ruthbaker5281 nah, Biden will be right on top.
Kind of surprised you didn't get more responses.
@@ruthbaker5281 you're right. Trump is near the top of the list of presidents and Buchanon is near the bottom with Obama, Biden, Carter, Wilson, and FDR. Great point.
One year of Biden has surpassed James Buchanan as the worst president in history.
I would love to see a Biographis about John Brown. He was such an interesting figure and I would love to hear your talk about him!
General Sherman would be a good one too
I hope that, somewhere out in the great beyond, John Brown is a beautiful, crazy angel.
You see this? They are coming for us. Soon there will be a million John brown!
I didn’t know I needed to hear a Brit describe the Revolutionary War as “When America Exploded”.
I thought of an idea for an episode that would mix communism with a royal disappearance/murder. The last king of Laos abdicated when the communist Pathet Lao seized power. He remained in the country, but was whisked away to a re-education camp in 1977 following a failed attempt to rescue him. After that all we have are scattered clues, rumors, contradictory official statements, and one strange photo that raised more questions than answers. The communist government claimed he died a year later of malaria, but later said that he died in 1984. Others claim he died of forced labor, or that he was locked in a cave and died of neglect. The queen and crown prince went with him, and also disappeared. It should make a good episode for one of your channels.
Ohhh this would be a good Causal Criminalist episode.
I was aware of that story, though I don't know any more than you outlined in your post. I actually visited Laos, and saw the former royal palace, now a museum, in Luang Prabang. I have thought that would make a very good subject for a video, but also felt it was probably too obscure a story to interest a lot of people. Also, many of the crucial facts are probably still unavailable to any foreign researcher. I was happily surprised to read your suggestion of it, but I won't get my hopes up.
Sounds like they did to him what the Chinese did with Puyi... at least in that movie though.
I visited Laos for three weeks in 2001, and spent a few days in Luang Prabang 10 years later. It is easily one of my favorite countries, and Luang Prabang must be my favorite city. The really eerie thing was what I found in the royal funeral chapel at Wat Xing Tong. There were royal items crammed into old cabinets and piled on shelves in no real order, like time had stopped in 1975. When I went back in 2011 it looked more like a museum. There is a very good book about the fate of the king titled “Stalking the Elephant Kings” by Christopher Kremmer. He managed to uncover a number of clues and eyewitnesses, but in the end couldn’t come up with a clear answer as to what happened.
Wow. At 25 minutes, that's about 20 minutes more than this guy is worth.
You're too generous.
I'd argue that "Worst President Ever" is a high bar, and it helps to have a long video to demonstrate why that's a pretty reasonable conclusion.
James buchanan makes even Donald trump and Joe biden look like awesome Presidents
He handled the Mormon extremist well. It’s the one thing he had North and South support on.
Over-exaggerated
@@robertortiz-wilson1588 Buchanan's contribution to the cause or are you downing playing stuff like the Mountain Meadows Massacre?
@@STRANDENGER42 Robert is likely LDS
A preview of the two comments you'll see down here:
"Don't you mean Biden?"
"Don't you mean Trump?"
It’s like comparing a sinus infection with a migraine. No wonder everybody has a headache.
That's because people can't be objective and fair . History will judge and time needs to go by . Everything is just so fresh and raw people can't separate thier emotions. It's too tribal like Yankees Red Sox .
I'm deeply curious what's going through these people's heads when they type that, if it's just ignorant political mudslinging or if they genuinely think 45 or Joe Brandon is legitimately worse than the guy who ended his term with less states in the Union than when he started it.
Charles C. Fremont is a really interesting character for a future Biographics video
Good idea
John C. Fremont would probably be even more interesting
I just learned a little about him yesterday In history class. Weird coincidence that you put out a video the day after
It has happened to me a couple times before
He’s watching you…
I think his title as the WORST has been broken!
The clown car analogy was priceless.
I believe that Buchanan was the second-worst. Franklin Pierce was the worst for having signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, after which the die was cast. Buchanan inherited that mess and should have moved strongly to quell it, but did not.
I’d argue that Woodrow Wilson takes the title. He segregated the federal govt, legitimized the KKK and revisionist history of the Confederacy, aided in creating the Federal Reserve, prolonged WW1 by his refusal to get involved, and his Wilsonian Intervention ideals still live on today in US foreign policy. And that’s just to name a few.
@@stlchucko I would add that his idealist vision for the Versailles Treaty was wrong-headed and I agree that he was not a good Pres. He was a president of poor actions while Pierce and Buchanan were presidents of inaction.
I think Andrew Johnson is right there with them.
The delivery is so urbane, I love it.
I once knew a person named Buchanan after the president. No idea what his parents were thinking or if they had ever picked up a history book.
Tom and Daisy Buchanan are two of the central characters in "The Great Gatsby." Maybe the name came from them. (But probably not).
According to my family records, I have an ancestor from the civil war era literally named Van Buren, like his first name was Van Buren lol... I think some parents want to name their kids after presidents but don’t like their first names or don’t think they’re recognizable enough
Knew a guy named Buchanan (surname) at AIT in Pensacola, FL. Called him Bucky. During a midnight company-wide breathalyzer test, he tried to disguise his drunkenness by chewing gum. It didn't work.
time to update that thumbnail, my dude.
From what I read, Buchanan was morally opposed to slavery, but also thought that it was protected by the constitution... Which tbf you could make a decent argument for (at this time, before Lincoln showed up and did his thing) since the constitution had a few things kinda acknowledging the existence of slavery though not really explicitly going to into detail about it or whether it is protected... And also the constitution definitely does protect people's property and one could argue that since 'property' is socially constructed and socially slaves were property, it naturally follows that the constitution protected slavery in that sense... But y'know then the 14th amendment happened which definitely changes things (well, it really just made it so for someone to be a slave they needed to also be a convict) and also with the supreme court it's their job to interpret the constitution how they see fit and so while you maybe can't change the constitution very easily (especially these days) in the US compared to many other nations, it is a lot easier to instead just have the supreme court change how the constitution is interpreted to end up with the same sort of effect...
Hopefully Biographics with be able to make a video on these former presidents in the foreseeable future:
Grover Cleveland
Andrew Jackson
Chester A. Arthur
Woodrow Wilson
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
William Howard Taft
James Garfield
John Quincy Adams
Was surprised to look and see that they hasn’t done Jefferson, Adams or Jefferson yet
He's probably going to do a video on each president
"hold my beer" - Biden
Now, I'm fairly certain Woodrow Wilson is indisputably the worst president of the US, both in that he was a terrible person and in that he was a poor, borderline incompetent leader, but getting a few minutes in has reminded me that Buchanan was the guy in charge before Lincoln and the Civil War. Still don't think he can be as bad as the guy who spearheaded the "Lost Cause" myth about that war (which is the thing that has southerners convinced the south did not try to leave over slavery when, if you read their secession notices, they definitely were fighting for slavery), and fucked up dealing with WWI spectacularly, and only even got elected because the republicans were split between wanting an actual republican and remembering how effective a leader Teddy Roosevelt was (Bull Moose guys, that was the correct choice.) But maybe Buchanan can earn a silver medal in this race.
I disagree, the Wilson administration had lots of flaws and the person himself is terrible but he did pass some good laws, like the income tax, the Antitrust acts, the National Park Service Act, and the direct election of Senators. Wilson had terrible things about his presidency also, such as segregating the federal government, the Sedition Act, the Espionage Act, and ignored the lynching of black Americans. He presidency had flaws and greats, he is not the worst president.
Id say Wilson and Buchanan are tied for worst if nothing else
If you put it that way then yes. At worst Buchanan only fucked up one country, Wilson doomed the entire planet.
@@arx3516 Nazi Germany would have happened without Wilson. But it may not have happened had Wilson not had a stroke.
@@thecawdsquad875 not just the Nazis, the damn bolsheviks got power because of Wilson. Yes he’s the damn worst
22:18 "December 6th, 1960"
Well, although he was 100 years late, he finally saw the error of his ways.
Buchanan: Worst president
Sloppy Joe: hold my ice cream cone
*Donald Trump. Fixed your comment
@@animeguardianxx The numbers say otherwise. GTFOH
@@animeguardianxxTrump isn't known for ice cream
I believe the actual phrase was, "Fifty four forty or fight!"
Source of the band name 54:40.
You are CORRECT, SIR!
@@seanhickey6065 GREAT BAND.
What a magnificent analogy for his one and only term.
The final comments neatly wrap up exactly why Buchanan’s administration is deemed a failure by today’s standards.
In his day however, there was no precedent for the federal government usurping power from the states - the entire federal system was originally founded as a confederation of individual states. Over time this was slowly morphing into the stronger federal government we have today - it’s easy for us to assume that we’ve always had a strong central government, but that just wasn’t the case back then.
His administration, like the few before him, were charged with the unenviable task of trying to make a compromise out of a situation where no compromise was really possible. Everyone was trying to avoid the bloodshed of a civil war, that was unfortunately inevitable - trouble was that Buchanan was the guy in the barrel when it all came to a head.
It could actually be argued that a weak administration like Buchanan’s was instrumental and actually necessary in order to spur the existence of one like Lincoln’s, thereby putting in motion the events needed to settle the slavery issue once and for all.
Today I learned that James Buchanan was a president
LoL
"Wait, Breckenridge... am I the president?"
New term : James Buchanan - a phrase used as a noun to describe a bad thing or the worst of something
He was very corrupt, wouldn’t you say?
Everyone: The current president is the worst president ever
The 1850s: Am I a joke to you?
No the current President is the worst. At least in the 1850s the US wasn’t on the verge of collapse thanks to Buc’s policies.
Could you do one on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom please.
Aunt Nancy and Aunt Fancy 😂😂 I believe James K Polk is the first president to have a mullet.
Well, I personally think that Andrew Johnson was worse, but Buchanan is definently down there.
The purchase of Alaska saves Andrew Johnson from being the worst ever. Biden has made a play for that title now.
James Buchanan was certainly not a very good president, but I would personally argue that Woodrow Wilson was easily worse, and definitively the worst president of all time. His disastrous policies both foreign and domestic are largely responsible for nearly every major world conflict since (and debatably including) World War II, and are also partially responsible for the intense political divide we find ourselves in in the United States today.
I think Wilson is a shoo-in for "most overrated President". He was held up as one of the greats for many historians for decades, and I cannot for the life of me figure out *why.*
@@Talisguy Historians, recently lioe those who filled our public school books, probably have an *agenda*
@@dravenocklost4253 So recent historians time-travelled back several decades to write history books lionizing Woodrow Wilson in spite of his foreign policy blunders and disgusting, virulent racism for...reasons?
He was a progressive democrat tho and therefore exempt from serious criticism
@@desylid5915 not the most open line of thinking IMO. Plenty of republican presidents are absolutely guilty of following in Wilson's foreign policy footsteps too not just dems, namely Eisenhower, Reagan, and both the Bushes, and you really only ever see serious criticism of Bush Jr for it. If you ask me, it all comes down to recency bias. Not many people are gonna criticize Wilson in the modern era, not because he was a progressive dem, but because his administration was in power over a century ago.
Do Van Buren, Fillmore, Pierce and Andrew Johnson
Please consider doing a Biographics video on George Carlin. Great man & hilarious comedian.
The way Simon said "Let's go Brandon" has me in tears. 😂😂😂
Historians: James Buchanan was the worst president.
Joe Biden: Hold my ice cream.
me too
Hear the sheep bleat brandon brandon braaaandon so obediently!
@@PoopaChallupa Biden isn’t responsible for 800,000 covid deaths. But considering how Trumpler lied about how dangerous it is, and how he ignored experts and did nothing for far too long, looks like Buchanan won’t be at the bottom any longer.
Even Buchanan got more done than trumpler, who mostly just bragged, lies, and played golf.
@@honeysucklecat More people died of covid in 2021 than 2020.
Great video, with only one correction: it was “54-40 or fight”. 😊
Love your work Simon, any chance you could look into and cover another Australian biographics?
Yes, please do Peter Lalor.
He’s gotta do John Monash surely
Bob Katter? What about Bruz? Or even better, Hotdogs
I think some like Sir Douglas Mawson would be fantastic, he was an Antarctic explorer and geologist
@@Sam-qk5kp He used to be on our 100 dollar bill right?
I still find it Crazy that, while I'm done with college my thirst for knowledge has skyrocketed. I want to thank you for giving me a non-biased source for this knowledge. I find non-biased sources to be really hard to come by these days. It's also kind of sad, that I learned more about the USA from this guy than from my American Teachers. Better late than never I guess.
Biden be like: "Hold my beer, Buchanan."
get a grip if you think biden even lands in the bottom ten
John Tyler should be considered America's worst retired president. He not only actively supported the Confederacy but was also elected to the confederate congress.
If Buchanan had followed Gen Winfield Scott’s advice there would have been no Confederacy no Civil war. No 800,000 casualties.
Buchanan picture at 1:16 is how I feel after the last two years.
Kinda funny how it seemed both sides thus selected the person with mixed views, instead of going for a polarizing president.
Let's get some Irish historical figures on the channel. Michael Collins would be a great one
Edit: haven't even gotten a Brian Boru
Or Tom Barry and DEV.
Yes
because no one cares
@@robertoleary5470 DEV would be especially interesting. Such a complicated legacy
@@dougontheotherchannel3078 cares about what?
Sorry but I’m still putting Andrew Johnson at the top of my worst presidents list. We’re still dealing with he’s terrible handling of reconstruction.
*his
That could be. I think Buchanan was in a more difficult position than Johnson, so Johnson's actions are less excusable.
Buchanan would've fared better had he been elected ten years previously at least
Simon, if you haven't already, do a Documentary on Southern-born, Union General George H. Thomas (No Relation), "The Rock of Chickamauga"
The Greatest Civil War General You've Probably Never Heard Of
That was interesting, honestly I had pretty much forgotten he ever was one of our presidents and sadly without a good grasp of his lack of leadership it's hard to understand what led up to the demise of one of our most talked about presidents, Abraham Lincoln.
Biden is the worst President in my life time at 60 years old.
Even the Congress floor was a Wild Wild West. Wild times.
Woodrow Wilson is still worst.
Joe “ Hold my beer “
Pop quiz how many presidents start with the letter j?
6?
I counted 12
I think 11?
J Adams
J Madison
J Monroe
J Q Adams
J Tyler
J Polk
J Buchanan
J Garfield
J Calvin Coolidge
J Kennedy
J Carter
J Biden
You're going to have to update this video in 3 years
I mean from my experience each president tries hard to out do the last one as worst ever. However I know the President is only part of a greater problem in our politics… merely a reflection of the party they represent.
By your logic that would make George Washington the greatest President
Humans are capable of such debauchery! So, this reality provides quite a wide range of possibilities. Humans are also capable of great good, it just hardly rears itself in those holding positions of power and authority.
Joe Biden: Hold my beer.
*Donald Trump. Fixed your comment
@animeguardianxx yeah... cheap gas, affordable groceries, and no new wars was absolutely horrible....
@@fredbowles4721 Stagflation is done by the greedy, and Putin caused the war. Gas prices are fine. Way better to have Biden than a greedy insurrectionist felon who is gleeful about less rights for women
@@fredbowles4721 Groceries are due to Stagflation, gas prices are down from last year, and Putin caused the war. Not to do with Biden
Biden is the second worst president in history
Good thing Abraham Lincoln managed to pick up his mess🙏🏾
Good old Honest Abe.
Too bad Andrew Johnson derailed reconstruction
@@JH-wi2xr he gotta be one of the worst presidential successors of all time
@@kingbeaner1286
I'm 100% convinced that Johnson had Lincoln whacked
@@maximustiberius3036 Wasn't Johnson targeted by the assassins, too?
The best thing James Buchanan did was lend his name to a Marvel character that has become one of the more loved ones of the MCU.
Who?
@@jbo4547 Bucky, The Winter Soldier, his full name is James Buchanan “Bucky”!Barnes.
@@jbo4547 James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, the Winter Soldier.
@@piratekingluffy3678 ohhh, lol damn. Thanks
11:06
Correction: Polk's battle cry was "Fifty-four forty or fight," not “Forty Five Forty”
That would put the border further south than the current US Canadian border at the 49th parallel.
Joe Biden: c'mon man, hold my... uh... you know, the thing!
*Donald Trump. Fixed your comment
If we were to judge this president by modern standards, there would be no contest. Buchanan would win hands down
Sounds like you need to take a closer look at Woodrow Wilson
I think Biden just said oh yeah, hold my beer!
*Donald Trump. Fixed your comment
Great videos, you should do one on Franklin Pierce. And while I'm here, maybe the cautionary tales of Badfinger and Big Star...
Not anymore
Woodrow "Joker" Wilson