Whig; Millard's era of politics was dominated by Henry Clay and Daniel Webster's Compromise of 1850, which admitted California into the Union, and a territorial government was established in New Mexico. The Fugitive Slave Act was also amended, which required slaves who escaped to return to their masters. Furthermore, the slave trade in Washington D.C. was abolished.
Democrat; Pierce was elected on a platform of maintaining the status quo in regards to the issue of slavery. The Kansas Nebraska Act allowed the new territory of Kansas to decide on its stance of slavery. The Ostend Manifesto described the rationale for the U.S. to purchase Cuba from Spain; Cuba's annexation has been a goal for U.S. expansionists. Pierce also approved the
Gasden Purchase, which added a large area of land to
the U.S.
Gasden Purchase, which added a large area of land to
the U.S.
Democrat; Buchanan presided over the dissolution of the Union due to the actions decided in the Dred Scott Supreme Court case. Due to "Lame Duck" Buchanan working to appease the South to prevent them from leaving the Union, he did not have any major policies. He did support the Lecompton Constitution, which would have allowed Kansas to enter as a slave state, but it was later voted down, and Kansas entered as a free state.
Republican; Lincoln's domestic policy was very rigorous due to the rise of the Civil War; he implemented a military draft that led to riots, and he created the first income tax and suspended habeas corpus in some regions. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January declared that the slaves in the rebelling states were now free.
Democrat; Johnson focused on post Civil War reconstruction which allowed Southerners to reform its government and resume their power. By giving southerners power it supported his opposition of the 14th Amendment to give citizenship to African Americans. His major foreign policy was a successful purchase of of Alaska from Russia through the negotiations of his secretary William Seward (Seward's Folly). Conflicts with the Radical Republicans over the South soon led to his impeachment.
Republican; He was a Civil War hero who led the era of Reconstruction. Grant's domestic policy involved ordering the treasury to flood the market with gold in response to the Credit Mobilier scandal. Grant's foreign policy focused on annexing Spanish colonies to the south like Santo Domingo and Cuba, but his efforts were blocked by the Senate.