The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among free men.
Whatever the result may be, I shall carry to my grave the consciousness that I at least meant well for my country.
James Buchanan (1791-1868) was the 15th President of the United States. His single term in office was unable to stem the tides of America’s approaching civil war.
This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
What bird do you associate with lifting weight?
(answer found at the end of this post)
Hailing from the state of New Hampshire, America’s 14th President, Franklin Pierce, served his nation from 1853-1857.
Here are some interesting facts about Franklin Pierce:
Pierce’s nickname was “Young Hickory of Granite Hills.” This recognized that he was a devoted supporter of President Andrew Jackson (nicknamed “Old Hickory”).
He served the federal government in a number of ways. During his military service in the Mexican War (1846-1848), he rose to the rank of General. He also served his state as a member of Congress in the House of Representatives and Senate.
At age 48, Pierce was elected to his nation’s highest office, and he was the youngest ever elected up to that time in American history. The youngest person ever elected to the Presidency was John F. Kennedy who was 43.
His Presidency was dominated by issues related to the issue of slavery in the United States. There were extreme sectional tensions over its expansion into new territories and states as America continued to expand westward.
Pierce supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. This bill allowed popular sovereignty (not Congress) to decide the fate of slavery as new territories were recognized by Congress. The upheaval and civil unrest turned Kansas into “Bloody Kansas.”
Due to his support for this divisive legislation, Pierce’s desire to serve another term as President was squashed when James Buchanan was nominated as the Democratic candidate in the election of 1856.
A crane
I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence. (Speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 22, 1861, as Lincoln’s train made a scheduled stop while traveling to Washington, DC for his Inauguration)
This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. (Final words of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, given on November 19, 1863, when he spoke during the commemoration of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Which of the following comes closest to being a factual statement?
A) Lawyer: “Our whole political system is corrupt.”
B) Upholster: “These are the most comfortable chairs we make.”
C) Coin collector: “Fewer than ten of these silver coins were minted in the year 1947.”
(answer found at the end of this post)
Nicknamed by some as “The Accidental President,” Millard Fillmore served as the 13th President of the United States (1850-1853).
Here are a few quick facts about President Fillmore:
As a young mill worker, Fillmore read the dictionary during breaks. He was primarily self-taught. His only formal teacher was Abigail Powers, who would later become his wife. She was instrumental in starting a Presidential Library, which was housed in the White House.
Like Abraham Lincoln, Fillmore rose from his childhood log cabin to reside in the White House. He also served in Congress as a U.S. Representative from New York state.
Fillmore was a relative political unknown when he was tapped to become Zachary Taylor’s running mate in the election of 1848. Few could have imagined that he would be called upon to fill Taylor’s shoes as President. He joined William Tyler as one more Vice President taking the oath of office following the death of the incumbent President.
One of the most significant achievements of the Fillmore’s administration was supporting the Compromise of 1850. Though opposed to slavery, he valued the preservation of the Union at any cost. An uneasy peace would remain until the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.
C
All others are opinion or conjecture.
The law is the only protection of the weak, and the only efficient restraint upon the strong.
The man who can look upon a crisis without being willing to offer himself upon the altar of his country is not for public trust.
Milliard Fillmore (188-1874) was the 13th President of the United States. As Vice President, he ascended to the Presidency upon the death of President Zachary Taylor.
This informative post will be published on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Take 1000. Add 40. Add another 1000. Add 30. 1000 again. Plus 20. Plus 1000. And plus 10. What is the total?
(answer found at the end of this post)
Zachary Taylor was elected in 1848 as the 12th President of the United States. Unfortunately, his term of 16 months would be the second shortest in American history.
Here are a few quick facts about Zachary Taylor:
Taylor’s career in the U. S. Army began with action during the War of 1812. It concluded with his service as a major general during the Mexican War from 1846-1848. His success as a military leader propelled him into the Presidency.
His famous nickname came from his troops because they appreciated his willingness to get his boots dirty alongside of them. His father served in the army during the American Revolution. His family roots have been traced to William Brewster, a passenger on the Mayflower, which arrived at Plymouth Rock in 1620.
Taylor never voted in an election until 1848 when he was running for President. During his brief time in the White House, visitors frequently saw his favorite horse, Whitey, grazing on the lawn.
His education did not include any formal classes at the college level. Despite being a slave owner, he possessed a strong nationalist spirit which favored preservation of the American union.
Following his untimely death in July, 1850, some historians and skeptics questioned Taylor’s cause of death. In 1991, his body was exhumed, and no evidence was found that he had been poisoned. Most medical experts believed that he probably died from gastroenteritis.
4100 (1000 + 40 + 1000 + 30 + 1000 + 20 + 1000 + 10 = 4100)
I am not a party candidate, and if elected cannot be President of a party, but the President of the whole people.
For more than half a century, during which kingdoms and empires have fallen, this Union has stood unshaken. The patriots who formed it have long since descended to the grave; yet still it remains, the proudest monument to their memory.
Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) was elected to the office of President of the United States. America’s 12th President only served 16 months when illness took his life.
This informative post will be published on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
What is the shortest name of a U.S. state that shares a letter in common with each of the other 49 states?
(answer found at the end of this post)
The 11th American President was James Polk, whose single term (1845-1849) included many notable accomplishments.
Here are some interesting facts about President Polk:
When elected to the office of President in 1844, James Polk became the first dark horse candidate to win the nation’s highest office. Being an overlooked underdog, Polk was nominated as a compromise candidate for the Democratic Party when its nominating convention was deadlocked. He campaigned with an agenda to annex Texas into the U.S. as well as opening up the Oregon territory to American settlers.
Polk’s nickname of “Young Hickory” reflected his mentorship under another famous Tennessean, President Andrew Jackson. Jackson’s nickname was “Old Hickory.”
Promising to only serve one term, James Polk continued a long line of one-term Presidents, who followed the two-term Presidency of Andrew Jackson (1829-1837). There would not be another President elected to a second term until Abraham Lincoln in 1864.
Polk’s term in office featured several distinguished outcomes:
After leaving the White House, James Polk’s life (1795-1949) was cut short due to illness. He died a few months later, probably from cholera. Taking only 27 days off during his term, Polk was a workaholic as President. This quote from his diary reinforced how dedicated he was to his responsibilities as President:
“No President who performs his duty faithfully and conscientiously can have any leisure time. I prefer to supervise the whole operations of the government myself rather than entrust the public business to subordinates, and this makes my duties very great.”
Maine
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Two fathers and two sons are in a car, yet there are only three people in the car. How can this be?
(answer found at the end of this post)
Virginian John Tyler was the 10th President of the United States. Upon the untimely death of President William Henry Harrison, Vice President Tyler assumed the office of President.
Here are some interesting facts about John Tyler:
Tyler was the first American Vice President to become President following the death of his predecessor. He was nicknamed by his detractors as “His Accidency.”
As a single-term President, Tyler served from 1841-1845. He became the first President to have a veto overridden by Congress.
Tyler was the first President to marry while in office. Following the death of his first wife, he remarried. He fathered a total of 15 children, which has remained the most of any President.
Born in 1790, Tyler grew up during the early years of the American republic. Prior to his death in 1862, he worked behind the scenes to preserve the Union before the start of the Civil War. He was very much against secession, but his loyalty to Virginia caused him to side with the Confederacy.
They are grandfather, father, and son.
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Do they have a 4th of July in England?
(answer found at the end of this post)
William Henry Harrison served as America’s ninth President. His nickname “Old Tippecanoe” came from his military career.
Here are some quick facts about President Harrison:
In the Election of 1840, Harrison and his running mate, John Tyler, used a catchy campaign slogan: “Tippecanoe and Tyler, too.” Harrison intended to become a doctor and enrolled in medical school. However, due to lack of funds he dropped out and entered the military.
Despite a wet, wintry day, Harrison delivered an outside, two-hour Inaugural Address. This may have led to his death a month later from suspected pneumonia.
An interesting coincidence followed the death of Harrison, who was elected in 1840. Every 20 years thereafter, the President elected would die in office. The streak would continue until the Election of 1980 when Ronald Reagan narrowly escaped death after being shot.
Here are the Presidents who were elected in the 20-year intervals following 1840:
1860: Abraham Lincoln, 1880: James A. Garfield, 1900: James McKinley, 1920: Warren G. Harding, 1940: Franklin D. Roosevelt, and 1960: John F. Kennedy.
Yes
England may not celebrate the Fourth of July as a holiday, but they do have a 4th of July (July 4) on their calendar.
Big Sky Buckeye 