He is a man who is consistently ranked as one of the worst Presidents in American history. After he left office, the country was more divided than it had ever been up to that point. However, today he still has fans. In fact, one of my viewers requested that I make a video about him. So, here is the story of Franklin Pierce.
Once upon a time, November 23rd, 1804, to be exact, Franklin Pierce was born in a log cabin in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. During Franklin's childhood, his Dad, Benjamin, was heavily involved in politics, eventually becoming governor of New Hampshire in 1827. Benjamin made sure Franklin had a strong education growing up. However, school did not naturally come easy to Franklin, and he consistently struggled.
When he turned 15, he went to Bowdoin College in Maine. There he made many friends, including a young writer who would eventually become of the most famous in American history- Nathaniel Hawthorne. At Bowdoin, Franklin was a party animal of sorts, and his grades suffered because of it. However, by the time he graduated he had applied himself enough to rank fifth in his class.
After graduation, Pierce studied law and entered politics. When he was 24 years old, he was elected to the New Hampshire state legislature. Two years later, with the help of his dad, who by this time was the governor, he was selected as its Speaker of the House. In March 1833, Pierce was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with hardly any competition in his way. While living in Washington, Pierce had become addicted to alcohol.
Meanwhile, he had become engaged to a woman named Jane Means Appleton. Jane was Pierce's opposite in almost every way. Franklin was a Democrat, Jane was a Whig. Franklin was outgoing, Jane was shy. Franklin frequented saloons, and Jane was big fan of the temperance movement, wishing that saloons were shut down. Even more so than her husband, Jane hated Washington politics, and was definitely not happy when Franklin later ran for President. The couple had a son, Franklin Pierce, Jr., on February 2nd, 1836. Tragically, Franklin Jr. died just three days later.
In March 1837, Pierce became the youngest member of the U.S. Senate at the time. While serving in the Senate, he usually voted with his political party, the Democrats. He wrote no significant bills, and he only seemed to be passionate about one thing- not liking the abolitionist movement. A friend of future Confederate president Jefferson Davis, Pierce became one of the few northerners who sided with southerners on the issue of slavery, which later caused some to call him a "doughface."
On August 27th, 1839, Franklin and Jane welcomed their second son, Frank Robert Pierce. Two years later, the two were sick of Washington politics, and Franklin decided to resign from the Senate. The family moved back to New Hampshire, where Franklin opened a law practice. It was also around this time that he gave up drinking, and actually attempted to outlaw alcohol from Concord, where his family now lived. On April 13th, 1841, Franklin and Jane had a third son- Benjamin Pierce. This good news was overshadowed by the death of their second son, Frank Robert, who died of epidemic typhus when Benjamin was two. Keep in mind now they had lost two children. This is getting depressing.
As a lawyer, Pierce was a star. He took high-profile cases, and his strong public speaking skills in the court room made him famous throughout New Hampshire.
When the Mexican-American War broke out, Pierce enlisted. Despite having no military experience, he commanded over 2,000 men in 1847 as they led an attack on Mexico City. However, his ability to fight did not last long. In the Battle of Contreras, he fell off his horse, crushing his leg and causing him to pass out.
Soon after the Americans won the war, and Franklin returned home to Concord, now more popular than he had ever been. By 1852, the country was more divided than it had ever been up to that point due to the issue of the expansion of slavery out west. The Democratic Party that year had a difficult time at their convention choosing a candidate, but in the end, they decided Franklin Pierce was their man, mostly because they believed he could appeal to both Northerners and Southerners due to being a "doughface." Remember, a doughface was a Northerner who sympathized with Southerners when it came to slavery.
Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Pierce was a "dark horse" candidate that few outside of New Hampshire had known up to that point. He ran against the Whig Party candidate, Mexican American War hero Winfield Scott, and easily won the election. What helped Franklin win the election was probably the advantages of a lot of people not knowing who he was and the fact that he got along with just about everybody.
Winning election was probably the high point of Franklin Pierce's life. After that, things went horribly wrong. Two months before he took office, Franklin, Jane, and their youngest son Benjamin were in a terrible train accident. Franklin and Jane survived, but their son died right in front of them. In fact, Benjamin was nearly lost his entire head. Their last surviving child, he was only eleven years old. It was a traumatic event that Jane would never recover from. None of their sons survived to see their father become President.
Jane would not attend Franklin's inauguration, where he gave a 3,319-word address from memory, without the aid of notes. Shortly after Pierce became President, two of his closest political allies died. Needless to say, Pierce was distracted during the first part of his Presidency. Social functions rarely took place during the first half of the Pierce administration. Jane lived in the White House as a recluse, likely the most unhappy First Lady in American history.
As President, Pierce felt pressure from both Southerners and Northerners, and was often put in a bad position trying to please both. One example of this was his reluctant support of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which repealed the Missouri Compromise, established the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, and said that anyone who lived in the two territories could vote on whether or not they would become slave or free states. After he signed the law in 1854, the territory of Kansas became a battleground where proslavery and antislavery forces murdered each other.
Pierce also upset northerners when members of his administration came up with the Ostend Manifesto, a document arguing for the United States to purchase Cuba from Spain and possibly declaring war with Spain if they refused to sell it.
One notable thing that Pierce doesn't get recognized for much is the fact that he named the first Roman Catholic cabinet officer in American history- James Campbell of Pennsylvania- during a time when many Americans persecuted Catholics.
Perhaps the biggest success of the Pierce's Presidency was when he sent James Gadsden to Mexico to buy land for a southern railroad in present-day southern New Mexico and Arizona. Known as the Gadsden Purchase, the United States acquired the land for $10 million.
However, by the end of his term, even his own party doubted his abilities. Franklin was not renominated by the Democrats to run again in 1856. Instead, they went with the less controversial James Buchanan. Pierce returned to his home in New Hampshire after his presidency, with the country now even more divided than it was when he first took office.
When the American Civil War erupted in 1861, Pierce was loyal to the North, but he blamed Abraham Lincoln for starting the war and taking away habeas corpus later in the war. Meanwhile, Jane's health declined due to tuberculosis. Hoping the warmer climate would help her recover, Franklin took her to the West Indies. It did not, and she died in late 1863.
After the death of his wife, Franklin sort of faded into obscurity. Sadly, he took up drinking again, and spent much of his remaining days as a recluse, much as Jane had when he was President. However, he was baptized into Jane's church on the second anniversary of her death. He also spent many happy days pursuing his favorite hobby- fishing.
On October 8, 1869, Franklin died from cirrhosis of the liver as a result of years of heavy drinking. He was buried in the Old North Cemetery in Concord.
So what about his legacy? For most historians, Franklin Pierce is seen as a weak leader at a time when the country desperately needed a strong one. However, I would argue that the issues that Pierce dealt with would have been tough for any President to tackle, and he did the best he could despite the insanely horrible events that plagued his life. Pierce lived a tragic life, one that any human would struggle to live. Yet he always held his head high through the pain, and that is something to admire.
Once upon a time, November 23rd, 1804, to be exact, Franklin Pierce was born in a log cabin in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. During Franklin's childhood, his Dad, Benjamin, was heavily involved in politics, eventually becoming governor of New Hampshire in 1827. Benjamin made sure Franklin had a strong education growing up. However, school did not naturally come easy to Franklin, and he consistently struggled.
When he turned 15, he went to Bowdoin College in Maine. There he made many friends, including a young writer who would eventually become of the most famous in American history- Nathaniel Hawthorne. At Bowdoin, Franklin was a party animal of sorts, and his grades suffered because of it. However, by the time he graduated he had applied himself enough to rank fifth in his class.
After graduation, Pierce studied law and entered politics. When he was 24 years old, he was elected to the New Hampshire state legislature. Two years later, with the help of his dad, who by this time was the governor, he was selected as its Speaker of the House. In March 1833, Pierce was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with hardly any competition in his way. While living in Washington, Pierce had become addicted to alcohol.
Meanwhile, he had become engaged to a woman named Jane Means Appleton. Jane was Pierce's opposite in almost every way. Franklin was a Democrat, Jane was a Whig. Franklin was outgoing, Jane was shy. Franklin frequented saloons, and Jane was big fan of the temperance movement, wishing that saloons were shut down. Even more so than her husband, Jane hated Washington politics, and was definitely not happy when Franklin later ran for President. The couple had a son, Franklin Pierce, Jr., on February 2nd, 1836. Tragically, Franklin Jr. died just three days later.
In March 1837, Pierce became the youngest member of the U.S. Senate at the time. While serving in the Senate, he usually voted with his political party, the Democrats. He wrote no significant bills, and he only seemed to be passionate about one thing- not liking the abolitionist movement. A friend of future Confederate president Jefferson Davis, Pierce became one of the few northerners who sided with southerners on the issue of slavery, which later caused some to call him a "doughface."
On August 27th, 1839, Franklin and Jane welcomed their second son, Frank Robert Pierce. Two years later, the two were sick of Washington politics, and Franklin decided to resign from the Senate. The family moved back to New Hampshire, where Franklin opened a law practice. It was also around this time that he gave up drinking, and actually attempted to outlaw alcohol from Concord, where his family now lived. On April 13th, 1841, Franklin and Jane had a third son- Benjamin Pierce. This good news was overshadowed by the death of their second son, Frank Robert, who died of epidemic typhus when Benjamin was two. Keep in mind now they had lost two children. This is getting depressing.
As a lawyer, Pierce was a star. He took high-profile cases, and his strong public speaking skills in the court room made him famous throughout New Hampshire.
When the Mexican-American War broke out, Pierce enlisted. Despite having no military experience, he commanded over 2,000 men in 1847 as they led an attack on Mexico City. However, his ability to fight did not last long. In the Battle of Contreras, he fell off his horse, crushing his leg and causing him to pass out.
Soon after the Americans won the war, and Franklin returned home to Concord, now more popular than he had ever been. By 1852, the country was more divided than it had ever been up to that point due to the issue of the expansion of slavery out west. The Democratic Party that year had a difficult time at their convention choosing a candidate, but in the end, they decided Franklin Pierce was their man, mostly because they believed he could appeal to both Northerners and Southerners due to being a "doughface." Remember, a doughface was a Northerner who sympathized with Southerners when it came to slavery.
Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Pierce was a "dark horse" candidate that few outside of New Hampshire had known up to that point. He ran against the Whig Party candidate, Mexican American War hero Winfield Scott, and easily won the election. What helped Franklin win the election was probably the advantages of a lot of people not knowing who he was and the fact that he got along with just about everybody.
Winning election was probably the high point of Franklin Pierce's life. After that, things went horribly wrong. Two months before he took office, Franklin, Jane, and their youngest son Benjamin were in a terrible train accident. Franklin and Jane survived, but their son died right in front of them. In fact, Benjamin was nearly lost his entire head. Their last surviving child, he was only eleven years old. It was a traumatic event that Jane would never recover from. None of their sons survived to see their father become President.
Jane would not attend Franklin's inauguration, where he gave a 3,319-word address from memory, without the aid of notes. Shortly after Pierce became President, two of his closest political allies died. Needless to say, Pierce was distracted during the first part of his Presidency. Social functions rarely took place during the first half of the Pierce administration. Jane lived in the White House as a recluse, likely the most unhappy First Lady in American history.
As President, Pierce felt pressure from both Southerners and Northerners, and was often put in a bad position trying to please both. One example of this was his reluctant support of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which repealed the Missouri Compromise, established the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, and said that anyone who lived in the two territories could vote on whether or not they would become slave or free states. After he signed the law in 1854, the territory of Kansas became a battleground where proslavery and antislavery forces murdered each other.
Pierce also upset northerners when members of his administration came up with the Ostend Manifesto, a document arguing for the United States to purchase Cuba from Spain and possibly declaring war with Spain if they refused to sell it.
One notable thing that Pierce doesn't get recognized for much is the fact that he named the first Roman Catholic cabinet officer in American history- James Campbell of Pennsylvania- during a time when many Americans persecuted Catholics.
Perhaps the biggest success of the Pierce's Presidency was when he sent James Gadsden to Mexico to buy land for a southern railroad in present-day southern New Mexico and Arizona. Known as the Gadsden Purchase, the United States acquired the land for $10 million.
However, by the end of his term, even his own party doubted his abilities. Franklin was not renominated by the Democrats to run again in 1856. Instead, they went with the less controversial James Buchanan. Pierce returned to his home in New Hampshire after his presidency, with the country now even more divided than it was when he first took office.
When the American Civil War erupted in 1861, Pierce was loyal to the North, but he blamed Abraham Lincoln for starting the war and taking away habeas corpus later in the war. Meanwhile, Jane's health declined due to tuberculosis. Hoping the warmer climate would help her recover, Franklin took her to the West Indies. It did not, and she died in late 1863.
After the death of his wife, Franklin sort of faded into obscurity. Sadly, he took up drinking again, and spent much of his remaining days as a recluse, much as Jane had when he was President. However, he was baptized into Jane's church on the second anniversary of her death. He also spent many happy days pursuing his favorite hobby- fishing.
On October 8, 1869, Franklin died from cirrhosis of the liver as a result of years of heavy drinking. He was buried in the Old North Cemetery in Concord.
So what about his legacy? For most historians, Franklin Pierce is seen as a weak leader at a time when the country desperately needed a strong one. However, I would argue that the issues that Pierce dealt with would have been tough for any President to tackle, and he did the best he could despite the insanely horrible events that plagued his life. Pierce lived a tragic life, one that any human would struggle to live. Yet he always held his head high through the pain, and that is something to admire.
