Mr. Buchanan's Administration on the Eve of the Rebellion

Summary

James Buchanan's "Mr. Buchanan's Administration on the Eve of the Rebellion" argues that the secession crisis of 1860-1861 was not caused by the South's fundamental disagreement with the North, but by radical abolitionist agitation and the election of Abraham Lincoln. Buchanan asserts that his administration acted within constitutional bounds to preserve the Union and prevent war, primarily by upholding federal authority and attempting to mediate the escalating sectional tensions. He highlights his efforts to maintain peace through diplomacy and to resist what he perceived as unconstitutional pressures from Northern states and abolitionist factions.

The book details Buchanan's view that Southern states seceded in response to the perceived threat to their institutions, particularly slavery, posed by Lincoln's election and the Republican Party's platform. Buchanan defends his inaction during the secession period as a deliberate strategy to avoid provoking further conflict, believing that any forceful federal response would have been unconstitutional and exacerbated the crisis. He seeks to absolve his administration of responsibility for the war, placing blame on the extremist elements in both North and South.

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Key concepts

• Secession Crisis — The period of political upheaval in the United States following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, leading to the secession of eleven Southern states.
• Abolitionist Agitation — The organized efforts by anti-slavery activists to end slavery in the United States, which Buchanan viewed as a primary destabilizing force.
• Federal Authority — The power and jurisdiction of the national government, which Buchanan sought to uphold while also claiming constitutional limitations on its use to suppress secession.
• States' Rights — The political belief that states should have greater autonomy and power than the federal government, a principle Buchanan argued the seceding states were invoking.