From page one of The Presidents’ War it becomes immensely apparent that DeRose has undertaken a very ambitious task. His purpose is to present the prelude period of the American Civil War from the perspectives of the six presidents that were alive during the period. These presidents; John Tyler, Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, and Abraham Lincoln, all had different agendas that they pursued throughout their terms in office, differing views about the role of the office of the presidency in society, and differing views about the separation between the north and the south and how to solve the problems that separated them. These differing points of view come into sharp focus within DeRose’s narration. The
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Millard Fillmore, who had become President upon the death of Zachary Taylor, was instrumental in passing the Great Compromise. One part of the Great Compromise series of laws called the Fugitive Slave Act, made law that all escaped slaves were to be returned to their masters, and that officials and citizens of free states were compelled to enforce this provision despite their personal feelings towards slavery. The comprise of 1850 left the north with widespread anti-slavery sentiments and gave the abolitionist movement a platform to stand …show more content…
Lincoln went to war to keep the southern states in the Union. And eventually pursued the war to finally settle the issue of slavery in the country.
In the closing chapters of the book, DeRose points to this irony, had the Southern States not seceded from the union, it is a possibility that slavery could continue after Lincoln’s election. States such as Maryland, Missouri, and Delaware that did stay in the union were allowed to continue the practice of slavery until the ratification of the 13th amendment to the constitution.
The last chapters of the book are dedicated to the execution of the Civil War, the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln, and the attempts by the five living former presidents to oppose and in some cases undermine his efforts in executing the war. Pierce, Tyler and Buchanan put their support in the 1860 election behind John Breckenridge, the southern democrat nominee as a candidate and Buchanan’s vice president. Fillmore did not believe that any of the Republicans made suitable candidates while Van Buren, one of the founders of the Democratic party and a supporter of the Stephen Douglas northern wing, believed that the Democrats should only put forth the strongest candidate against the Republicans which he believed was Stephen Douglas. Van Buren took this so far that he made a deal in his home state of New York to create a fusion ticket that
Millard Fillmore, who had become President upon the death of Zachary Taylor, was instrumental in passing the Great Compromise. One part of the Great Compromise series of laws called the Fugitive Slave Act, made law that all escaped slaves were to be returned to their masters, and that officials and citizens of free states were compelled to enforce this provision despite their personal feelings towards slavery. The comprise of 1850 left the north with widespread anti-slavery sentiments and gave the abolitionist movement a platform to stand …show more content…
Lincoln went to war to keep the southern states in the Union. And eventually pursued the war to finally settle the issue of slavery in the country.
In the closing chapters of the book, DeRose points to this irony, had the Southern States not seceded from the union, it is a possibility that slavery could continue after Lincoln’s election. States such as Maryland, Missouri, and Delaware that did stay in the union were allowed to continue the practice of slavery until the ratification of the 13th amendment to the constitution.
The last chapters of the book are dedicated to the execution of the Civil War, the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln, and the attempts by the five living former presidents to oppose and in some cases undermine his efforts in executing the war. Pierce, Tyler and Buchanan put their support in the 1860 election behind John Breckenridge, the southern democrat nominee as a candidate and Buchanan’s vice president. Fillmore did not believe that any of the Republicans made suitable candidates while Van Buren, one of the founders of the Democratic party and a supporter of the Stephen Douglas northern wing, believed that the Democrats should only put forth the strongest candidate against the Republicans which he believed was Stephen Douglas. Van Buren took this so far that he made a deal in his home state of New York to create a fusion ticket that