As the Republic Burned: Four Presidents and the Lead Up to the US Civil War, 1848-1860

This series of 4 lectures will explore a complex era in US history as abolitionism, sectionalism and westward expansion converged in the 1850s to propel the US towards a fateful reckoning with the institution of slavery. At the center of this crisis were four presidents: Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, and James Buchanan, all who tried to navigate these tense years but ultimately failed to avert the troubles to come. To varying degrees, each administration tried to forge a new consensus – only to falter and see political chaos arise from the collapse of first the Whig and then the Democratic Parties, leaving the nation bitterly divided and preparing for war.