An 1856 James Buchanan Campaign Token

BillJones

"The crisis demands his election?" History shows the crisis overwelmed his presidency.

Most historians regard James Buchanan as the worst U.S. president of all time. He began earning that dubious distinction before he even took the Oath of Office. Prior to the time that the Supreme Court announced its infamous Dred Scott decision, Buchanan checked with the justices to see what the verdict was going to be. This was a clear violation of the separation of powers.

In his inaugural address Buchanan announced that the slavery issue had been "solved" by the Dred Scott decision. In a majority decision chief justice Roger B. Taney wrote that African-Americans were not U.S. citizens. Therefore they had no right to bring any actions before the Court System. Furthermore Taney stated that slave owners could take their slaves into any state they pleased with no worries that their "property rights" would become null and void. In essence the Dred Scott decision opened up the entire Union, including the previously free states, to the possibility that slavery would be legal within their borders. Dred Scott would go down in history as one of the Supreme Court's worst decisions.

After Lincoln was elected president in 1860, 11 southern states, starting with South Carolina, seceded from the Union. Although Buchanan viewed their actions as illegal, he saw no way that he could interfere with their actions. Instead he did nothing while his secretary of war grabbed Union supplies in preparation to fight the Civil War. When Lincoln took the Oath of Office, Buchanan told him that if he (Lincoln) was as glad at becoming president as he (Buchanan) was to be leaving it, then Lincoln was indeed and very happy man. Years later Buchanan would declare that history would vindicate him. That vindication has never come.

This token is a recent acquisition. It is similar to a piece I already had, but it is in Choice Mint State condition, and there is a curious brief legend on the bottom of the reverse that reads, "31.S." This refers to the fact that there were 31 states in the Union when Buchanan was elected president. It also obliquely refers to the crisis that was facing the nation.

The politicians of the period realized that the Union was in peril over the slavery issue. Most of them believed that there was a solution that could hold the Union together and preserve slavery. In fact many presidential aspirants, like Stephen Douglas, believed that the road to the White House could be won if they could find a solution to the Union and slavery issue. The answer, of course, was that there was no solution where the country could remain whole and slavery could continue to exist. Instead of settling the issue peaceably, the U.S. would face four years of bitter war that would leave both sides scared for years to come.

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kaz

Neat tokens I have never seen before, produced on the verge of the greatest internal crisis ever for the US. Thanks, Bill J.

BillJones

I bought the brass Buchanan token from John Kraljevich at the Baltimore show. John joked that collectors were "standing in line to Buchanan tokens" when in fact the opposite is true. Buchanan is not as popular today as he was when left the presidency in 1861, and that is saying something.

There is a noted exception. The Buchanan rebus is very popular. There are less than ten examples of this piece known in copper. I owned one in white metal which I sold when I acquired this piece.

The "Breckinridge" at the bottom of the piece was Buchanan's running mate, John Breckinridge, who ran for president as a southern Democrat in 1860. He was the youngest man ever to become vice president at age 36. After he finished second in the vote in the Electoral College, Breckinridge because a successful general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and became the secretary of war for the Confederacy at the end of conflict. Here an 1860 Breckinridge ferrotype, and yes these pieces are scarce. His running mate was Joseph Lane from Oregon.

kaz

Those are great pieces, Bill. Thanks for sharing!

OldEastside

Thank You Bill,



I love your accurate commentary's



Well Done



Steve

coinsarefun

Great write up Bill and as always....great tokens

ricko

Really nice tokens and a great history lesson...Thanks Bill... always enjoy these threads.

Cheers, RickO

Justacommeman

Thanks Bill for the great info and congrat's on the NEWP.



mark

Zoins

Great pieces and post Bill as usual. Love reading about your collection and pieces. It is a treat.



The rebus piece looks very nice and I've been a big fan of ferrotypes for a while now.