"Lives of James Buchanan and John C. Breckinridge, Democratic Candidates for the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the United States," 1856

Democrats chose James Buchanan to head their presidential ticket in 1856. The long-serving politician seemed perfect to calm the sectional strife that gripped the nation. Buchanan hailed from non-slaveholding Pennsylvania but supported the rights of states and territories to decide whether slavery should exist within their own borders. He was elected, but divisions worsened. By the end of his presidency the country was splitting in two.