He served only one term, but some of the most momentous events of the first half of the 19th century occurred during his presidency — and yet he did very little to guide the ship of state through the rough and stormy seas.

From the time of his inauguration on March 4, 1857, until his quiet departure from the White House following Abraham Lincoln’s election, James Buchanan’s term witnessed a whirlwind, including the Dred Scott decision, the raid on Harpers Ferry, a congressional attempt to avert war, three new states added to the Union, a South Carolina convention promoting and achieving secession, and more.

These four years foreshadowed the coming conflict, yet Buchanan appeared paralyzed with uncertainty. Buchanan, who preferred foreign policy to domestic issues, instead focused on spreading the nation’s influence in the Western Hemisphere, including a continuation of his plan to annex Cuba, while the Union crumbled.

Were his foreign policy initiatives successful? Only partially. He consistently challenged Britain’s attempts to exercise leadership in Central America and, on several occasions, sent the U.S. Navy to “greet” British ships along the coasts of Central America and western North America. When the British attempted to establish a presence on San Juan Island, part of today’s Washington State, they were forced to withdraw quickly and silently as U.S. Naval guns fixed on their fleet.

Relationships with Mexico proved more difficult as Texas residents faced raids originating from across the border. While the war with Mexico had ended almost a decade earlier, it was a tenuous peace, and Texans often paid the price for Mexico’s continuing resentment. While the president proposed a stronger stand along the border, Congress understood that the greatest threat was within the borders and simply refused to take action that might lead to a second armed conflict with Mexico.

Since James Buchanan often appears on historians’ lists of the five least effective presidents, let’s wander through the events of his presidency just briefly before we step into a decade that almost destroyed the “city on a hill.”

Why do historians often share the events of this presidency with only a passing mention of the president’s name? There are reasons.

As the nation and its territories pushed westward, accentuating the issue of slavery and representation in Congress, Buchanan refused to take a strong stand. In his inaugural address, he symbolically wiped his hands by asserting that the national government’s responsibility was to allow the people of the territories to decide for themselves the question of slavery — i.e., popular sovereignty. In effect, Buchanan was sanctioning future “bleeding Kansas” situations rather than taking a strong stand and risking controversy.

Following the popular sovereignty debacle by only days, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered the Dred Scott decision. In its simplest interpretation, it asserted that slaves were property — not persons — and, as such, had no standing to sue or seek remedy via the judicial system. Chief Justice Roger Taney went even further by opining that the Missouri Compromise had been an “unconstitutional” document and that the United States government had no authority to limit the practice of slavery.

The debate between abolitionists and pro-slavery factions heated. The division between Northern industrial states and Southern agrarian states increased.

And James Buchanan, just settling down into his office, faltered. He attempted to avoid either extreme by appointing more moderate cabinet officials, but, in truth, he was presiding over a ship of state that was taking on water.

As issues with Kansas continued to seep into the national debate in Congress, Buchanan found himself at odds with Senator Stephen A. Douglas, who had his own aspirations for the presidency. The tense relationship between the executive and legislative branch, especially after the judicial branch had confirmed its position on the slavery debate with Dred Scott, made Buchanan look weak as Douglas was a fiery opponent.

The situation worsened when John Brown, part evangelist and part militant terrorist, raided Harpers Ferry in the fall of 1859 and attempted to instigate a slave uprising. Buchanan did react to the threat, but by sending a company of U.S. Marines to capture Brown, who was ultimately executed, he further fueled the fire. Both North and South voices criticized his actions as either anti-abolitionist or a weak response against an attack on private property.

Neither side was happy, and Buchanan spent his last year in office counting the days until he could return home.

The election of 1860 would bring the debate to the people in the most interesting of settings — four ACTIVE candidates for the presidency.