Was Franklin Pierce president while the war was going on?
The US was not at war while Pierce was President. There was considerable turmoil and violence in Kansas over the election to decide whether to allow slavery in the state.
What were Franklin Pierces' feelings about slavery?
Franklin Pierce did not personally like slavery but was not an abolitionist. He believed that the framers of the Constitution were right when they agreed to tolerate slavery in order to form the United States and did he not side with those who were willing to split up the nation in order to end slavery in it. He might be called a doughface, which was slang for Northerners who didn't sympathize with the quest for freedom by the enslaved descendants of Africans in the Southern States. Also, he was not actively opposed to allowing the spread of slavery into the American West. He signed the Kansas-Nebraska bill which allowed the residents of a territory to allow or exclude slavery as they wished,. Pierce did not think that Congress or the President had the constitutional right end slavery. Slavery was a local issue, to be decided by the individual states and territories. In this view, our President was supported by other prominent leaders such as Lewis Cass and Stephen Douglas.
During the War between the States, former President Pierce openly opposed the use of military force to make the Southern States rejoin the union. In fact, from his home in New Hampshire, he carried on wartime correspondence with his old friend and cabinet member Jefferson Davis who was now President of the Confederacy.
Is Franklin Pierce still alive?
No, he died October 8, 1869, at age 65 yrs. (He was born in 1804 and so would be over 200 years old were he still alive.)
How did Franklin Pierce's child die?
Benjamin Pierce, the youngest was killed while riding on a train. He was riding in a car with parents are the end of a train, in January of 1853, the year that Franklin was set to become President in March. The car became detached from the train, rolled down a hill, jumped off the track and overturned. The train car upset and something hit and killed Benjy. He was the only one seriously hurt.
Frankln Robert died of typhus at age four.
Franklin, Jr, died in three days if birth of unknown causes.
What events happened in the world during Franklin Pierce's presidency?
As president he was not much of a success. He vigorously pushed the Kansas-Nebraska Act which turned out to be a total failure, leading to a border war known as bleeding Kansas . Nebraska was sure to vote against slavery, so to keep the balance of slave and free states, pro-slavery people felt it was necessary to make Kansas a slave state. Besides rallies which brought in outside agitators and stirred up feelings, pro slavery thugs came in from Missouri to disrupt the election and abolitionists responded in kind. Pierce was much criticized for not sending in federal troops to stop the violence.
Pierce instigated an attempt to buy Cuba from Spain. His ministers in Europe eventually produced what became known as the Ostend Manifesto which demanded that Spain either sell Cuba to the US or lose it to a war with the US. After this document became public there was so much public outrage that he had to formally repudiate it. Besides causing a domestic and international uproar over the suggestion that the US would provoke a war to gain territory, Cuba was looked on as a potential slave state.
Pierce okayed the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico of a strip of land which is now the southern tip of Arizona and New Mexico for the purpose of building a transcontinental railroad there. (The building of a railroad was also part of the reason for the Kansas-Nebraska act. The government paid for surveys and cost-studies for a trans-continental railroad)
A rebellion in Nicaragua put a pro-slavery American in power there and the Pierce administration quickly recognized the new government there.
Maybe the best things he did:
Pierce reorganized the navy command and his able Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis put the army into good order. The treasury was well managed and the national debt was reduced from $67 million down to $31 million.
How did Franklin Pierce's sons die?
His first son, Franklin Pierce Jr , died as a 3-day old baby. Franklin's second son, Frank Pierce, died of typhus at age 4.
The third son, Benjamin, died at age 11, in a tragic train accident not long before his father became President, January 6.1853. The family on a train pulling out from the station at Andover, NH, when the car they were in developed a bad wheel making it drag and become uncoupled from the traiin. It rolled down an embankment and crashed . Benjy was sitting on a bench behind his parents and was hit by flying debris which cut off the back of his head, killing him instantly. Nobody else was seriously hurt.
Did Franklin Pierce own slaves?
no- Pierce lived in New Hampshire all of his life except when he was in the army or serving in Washington. He did, however believe that the constitution protected the right to own slaves.
What did Franklin Pierce study in college?
The college was very small- 14 were in his graduation class. There was not much choice of subjects. Students of his day studied Greek, Latin, geometry, ancient history, philosophical logic, ethics and rhetoric.
Can you get pictures of Franklin Pierce his wife and his 3 kids?
You can find easily find pictures of Franklin Pierce and his wife Jane Pierce on the internet and elsewhere. See the related link for a picture of young Benjamin Pierce with his mother. He died at age 14 in 1853.
What son of Franklin Pierce died in a train wreck?
His last son Benjamin was killed on January 6, 1853 while the family was on the train from Boston back to their Concord home. The train car the family was in became detached from the train and rolled down an embankment. Little Benjamin was the only one hurt in the wreckage.
What is Franklin Pierce most known for?
He is best known for being the 14th president of the United States.
What was Franklin Pierce's first job?
Pierce taught school for a few weeks without pay during a school vacation while a senior in college. His first regular job was as a lawyer.
What position was Franklin Pierce in the Mexican War?
He ended the war as a brigadier general , after having enlisted as a private and being promoted to colonel,
Who were Franklin Pierce's siblings?
Franklin Pierce had 4 brothers and 2 sisters, not counting one who died as a baby, plus a half-sister from his father's first marriage.
Was Franklin Pierce an alcoholic?
Pierce had periods when he drank enough to injure his health. He was never unable to do his work due to intoxication. I do not think there was even an
instances when he appeared drunk in public and his drinking did not seriously threaten his marriage if at all.
What did Franklin Pierce introduce to the whitehouse?
He had a tree in White House lawn decorated for a Christmas Tree.
What good things did Franklin Pierce do as a President?
In 1854 he passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act that allowed settlers in this area to decide for themselves whether they would be slavery or not. Pierce was an active supporter of the Manifest Destiny, trying unsuccessfully to expand to Alaska, Hawaii, and Cuba. Pierce was the youngest President ever.
Few people change things very much. Franklin Pierce was not a reformer and did not try to make many changes. He did make an effort to obtain Cuba for the US, but was unable to do so. He tried to solve the slavery issue, but it was beyond any peaceful solution. The army and navy were both made more efficient by his administration, which fact helped the North in the Civil War.
What was Franklin Pierce's nickname?
Franklin D. Roosevelt had several nicknames.
How long was Franklin Pierce the President of the United States?
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States, serving one term from 4 March 1853 to 4 March 1857.
When was Franklin Pierce elected as president?
He was elected on November 2, 1852.
He served as President from March 4,1853-March 3,1857
1852