Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Timpanagos1

He does have a point. If James Buchanan had been as decisive as Andrew Jackson was the last time South Carolina talked of succession, and threaten to send the Army to hang all the secessionist, it might have averted the civil war.

Instead he did nothing for awhile then finally made a spineless announcement that the states had no right to secede but the federal government had no right to force them to stay in the union. Then handed the whole mess to Lincoln and scurried on home.


109 posted on 05/01/2017 6:37:52 PM PDT by OIFVeteran
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: OIFVeteran
He does have a point. If James Buchanan had been as decisive as Andrew Jackson was the last time South Carolina talked of succession, and threaten to send the Army to hang all the secessionist, it might have averted the civil war.

Or might have provoked it earlier. The Southern states were firm in their intent to leave the Union after Lincoln's election. There was nothing wishy-washy about their actions or their motivation of defense of slavery. A threat to resort to military force would not have caused them to back down. It would have resulted in the South calling up their own troops and the war beginning a few months earlier than it did.

150 posted on 05/02/2017 5:54:18 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 109 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson