Franklin Pierce: A Torn President in a Torn Country
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Franklin Pierce, America’s 14th President, had two simple goals: keep his party together and keep his country calm through the storm of the slavery debate. Simple, but not easy. Joseph Fornieri, Professor of Political Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology, explains how Pierce’s leadership (or lack thereof) pushed America toward civil war.
Script:
By all accounts, Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States was a fine person: charming, caring, deeply empathetic. These are all characteristics you want in a friend—and Pierce had many—but they don’t necessarily make for a strong leader. Unfortunately, Pierce’s appointment with history came when such a leader was sorely needed. Try as he might to fill the role, Pierce couldn’t do it.
Franklin Pierce was born November 23, 1804, in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Raised in the shadow of his prominent father, Benjamin, a Revolutionary War hero, Franklin began his political career shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College in 1824.
He was a political natural. In addition to his good looks, he was an eloquent speaker. Gifted with a photographic memory, he almost always spoke without notes, connecting directly to his audience. He won his first election in 1829 to the New Hampshire State Legislature. In 1832 he was elected to Congress, and by 1837, he was a US senator, the youngest member at the time.
The overriding political issue of the day was slavery. To understand Pierce, we need to understand his position on this issue. While not a slave owner himself, Pierce believed that the Constitution committed the federal government to protecting slavery. Not surprisingly, Pierce’s position endeared him to his Southern colleagues. This support was key to his political career.
By 1842, Pierce was ready to leave Washington. He needed to make more money and care for his chronically ill wife. He did both without ever truly leaving politics. In fact, he became more influential during this period by becoming the Democratic Party boss of his home state of New Hampshire. He might have happily stayed there were it not for the outbreak of the Mexican-American War in 1846.
The Americans won that war decisively, acquiring vast new territories in the west, including California. But the victory also had the unintended consequence of stirring up the slavery issue. What would happen to these new territories? Would they become slave or free?
After fierce debates, the Compromise of 1850 resolved the issue—or so it seemed. California would be admitted into the union as a free state while the status of the new territories of New Mexico and Utah would be determined at a later, unspecified time. And that’s where things stood when Franklin Pierce, through an improbable series of circumstances, became America’s 14th President.
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Ah yes, love getting my daily doss of fascism.
Bogus content from politicians IMPERSONATING an educational institution. Please call yourselves what you are, political hacks trying to push your opinionated beliefs on people as though they are historical facts.
BS.
When I saw the title of this video, I prayed to God that it would contain race-baiting. I'm going to make a video called 'Jared Kushner is a Mensch". Unlike this presenter, I'm of the correct ethnicity to do that.
The violent death of his last surviving son on that train accident also hurt Pierce on a much deeper level.
What a beauty. My life was amazing
I just hooked my industrial strength pressure washer up to my bidet:)
My asshole’s gonna be so clean at my funeral
Pierce was a slavery sympathiser.
Hardly a good president
This is a great video. Thank you very much. I would certainly appreciate and enjoy if you made a whole series of videos like this one. Maybe like American presidents. And do a short biographical video on each one of those presidents.
Good explanation.
"It would take an entirely different kind of leader to save the nation".
Yeah. It would take a literal war criminal to "Save the nation".
Hello, anyone who reads this. I recently discovered Prager U and I absolutely love their content, especially these short videos on various US presidents. But I want more. Can anyone recommend any other channels that do something similar, maybe with 5-10 minute videos about every president?
I would like to know if these rumors are true or not. President Franklin Pierce was a direct ancestor of former first lady Barbara Bush, the wife of President George H.W. Bush and the mother of President George W. Bush. Barbara Bush's father was a Pierce who claimed that they were descended from the family of President Franklin Pierce.
How could they know he had a photographic memory in the 1820s? 0:46
Congress approved the act so blaming Pierce entirely is a bit of a cop out.
Whenever I see Lincoln, I just have to present a little history…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pZG7snE7tU
"Democrat Party", NOT "Democratic Party". Please correct your terminology. The correct terminology is "Democrats belong to the DEMOCRAT party." Makes you sound lazy, ignorant or stupid. I don't believe you are stupid, so just leaves two other possibilities. Please do BETTER PragerU! Rush Limbaugh always spoke so highly of you.
Let's face it, I'm still am glad slavery was abolished. If slavery legally existed in one part of the country today vs another part of the country, we would be practicing multiculturalism.
To hear it one way, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was about establishing state sovereignty over federal powers. Proponents of slavery opposed it primarily because they knew they would have no power or legitimacy to expand into the new territories if they did not gain Kansas. It was a compromise but one that threatened a dying ideal.
Interesting glimpse into a little known President’s personality & administration. Thanks for posting! 👍🏻👏🏻
I believe that Barbara Bush is related to this President
Did you know that Barack's step-dad knew Bush #41
GHWB gave little Barry candy
thats why GWB gives Michelle candy at funerals
How the President are sown together is unbelievable
Thats why the ALL hate Trump
he ruin their good Ole'boy election