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Article: On the brink of war. (Kenneth Stampp discusses the United States in 1857) (interview)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- January 21, 1991
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Historian Kenneth Stampp examines the year 1857 and finds a well-qualified but insular president blundering his way toward disaster
Lincoln is generally considered the greatest president and James Buchanan, his predecessor, one of the worst. Was Lincoln better trained for the job?
You can almost say that Lincoln was altogether unprepared. He had one undistinguished term in Congress, no administrative and no diplomatic experience. Buchanan, on the other hand, was as well trained as any president. He spent nearly two decades in the House and the Senate, served as the ambassador to Russia and Great Britain and was secretary of state. But Buchanan turned out ...