Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, served from 1853 to 1857. His presidency is often criticized for…

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Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, served from 1853 to 1857. His presidency is often criticized for its inability to address the growing sectional tensions over slavery, which eventually led to the American Civil War.

Early Life and Career
Birth and Family Background:
Franklin Pierce was born on November 23, 1804, in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. He was the son of Benjamin Pierce, a Revolutionary War hero and two-term governor of New Hampshire, and Anna Kendrick Pierce.
Pierce grew up in a politically active family, which influenced his future career in politics.

Education:
Pierce attended local schools and later enrolled at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he befriended writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He graduated in 1824.
After college, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1827.

Political Career:
Pierce began his political career as a member of the New Hampshire state legislature, serving from 1829 to 1833. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1833 and served until 1837.
He then served in the U.S. Senate from 1837 to 1842 but resigned to focus on his law practice and family.

Military Service:
During the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), Pierce served as a brigadier general. His military service, though not marked by major accomplishments, boosted his national profile.

Presidency (1853-1857)
Election of 1852:
Pierce was nominated as the Democratic candidate for president in 1852 as a compromise candidate after multiple ballots at the Democratic National Convention. He won the election by a large margin against the Whig candidate, General Winfield Scott.

Domestic Policies:
Pierce’s presidency was dominated by the issue of slavery and its expansion into new territories. His administration is best known for the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed settlers in those territories to decide on the legality of slavery through popular sovereignty. This act effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise and led to violent conflict in Kansas, known as “Bleeding Kansas.”

Foreign Policies:
Pierce pursued an expansionist foreign policy. His administration attempted to acquire Cuba from Spain, an effort known as the Ostend Manifesto, which failed and caused controversy.
He also facilitated the Gadsden Purchase in 1854, acquiring land from Mexico that is now part of southern Arizona and New Mexico, to facilitate a southern transcontinental railroad route.

Challenges and Controversies:
Pierce’s enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act and his support for the pro-slavery faction in Kansas alienated many in the North and divided his party.
His inability to manage the growing sectional conflict over slavery diminished his effectiveness and popularity as president.

Post-Presidency
After Leaving Office:
Pierce was not renominated by the Democratic Party in 1856 and was succeeded by James Buchanan. After leaving office, Pierce retired from public life and traveled extensively.
He remained politically active, voicing opposition to the Civil War and criticizing President Abraham Lincoln’s policies, which further isolated him from public favor.

Personal Life:
Pierce faced significant personal tragedies. His three children all died young, and his wife, Jane Means Appleton Pierce, suffered from poor health and depression. Their son Benjamin died in a train accident shortly before Pierce’s inauguration, deeply affecting both parents.

Death:
Franklin Pierce died on October 8, 1869, in Concord, New Hampshire, at the age of 64. He is buried in Old North Cemetery in Concord.

Legacy
Historical Assessment:
Pierce’s presidency is often ranked among the least effective and most criticized in American history. His inability to address the sectional tensions over slavery and his pro-Southern policies are seen as contributing factors to the onset of the Civil War.
Despite his personal charm and earlier political success, Pierce’s legacy is overshadowed by the tumultuous period leading up to the Civil War and his perceived failure to unite the country during a critical time.