State Of The Union Addresses

State of the Union Addresses is a collection of speeches given by James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States, to Congress during his presidency from 1857 to 1861. The book includes all of Buchanan's annual addresses, as well as his special messages to Congress. The speeches cover a range of topics, including the state of the economy, foreign relations, slavery, and the growing tensions between the North and South that would eventually lead to the Civil War. Buchanan's speeches reflect his belief in states' rights and his efforts to maintain the Union, even as the country was becoming increasingly divided. This book provides a unique insight into the political climate of the United States in the years leading up to the Civil War, as well as the thoughts and policies of one of the country's most controversial presidents.I have long foreseen and often forewarned my countrymen of the now impending danger. This does not proceed solely from the claim on the part of Congress or the Territorial legislatures to exclude slavery from the Territories, nor from the efforts of different States to defeat the execution of the fugitive-slave law. All or any of these evils might have been endured by the South without danger to the Union (as others have been) in the hope that time and reflection might apply the remedy. The immediate peril arises not so much from these causes as from the fact that the incessant and violent agitation of the slavery question throughout the North for the last quarter of a century has at length produced its malign influence on the slaves and inspired them with vague notions of freedom. Hence a sense of security no longer exists around the family altar.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.