JAmes BUchanan
...1818, at age twenty-seven, he ran for U.S. congressman under the Federalist Party. He got defeated in his first year running, however two years later he ran again and was successful. However, in 1820 his party broke up and he joined the Democratic Party. After ten years in politics James was going to retire from them however Jackson persuaded him to be the diplomat for Russia, which ended up keeping him involved. In 1833, he returned to the United States, and got elected to the senate. He became a leading spokesman for the Democratic Party in the Senate and was a strong supporter of Jackson and, of President Martin Van Buren. Van Buren offered him an appointment as U.S. attorney general in 1839, but Buchanan refused. Instead he stayed in the Senate .At this time, Buchanan took his stand on slavery, the most debatable issue of the day. He thought that slavery was morally wrong, but he also believed that the government should allow it in the Southern states where it already existed, so it would not crush the economy. In 1856, James decided to attend the Democratic convention. James was very well known for his high positions in government. He also had a view on slavery that made him popular in the south without making him unpopular in the north. While at the convention he got nominated to run as the representative of the Democratic Party. James ran against John C. Frémont and Millard Fillmore. In the end he won both the popular vote and the electoral vote. While in office his main issues were the panic of 1857, and the slavery issue. Shortly after entering office the nation entered a short but severe depres...