James Buchanan - Quiz
James Buchanan
  • 1. Who was Douglas' Republican opponent in the 1858 Illinois Senate race?
A) Alexander Gorchakov
B) Abraham Lincoln
C) Townsend Harris
D) William Bradford Reed
  • 2. What primary issue defined the 1858 Illinois legislative election?
A) The annexation of Cuba
B) The Homestead Act
C) The Senate seat
D) The purchase of Alaska
  • 3. How many pieces of Republican legislation did Buchanan veto?
A) Four
B) Seven
C) Five
D) Six
  • 4. What was the primary goal of the Homestead Act?
A) To provide 160 acres of public land to settlers
B) To trade with the Qing dynasty
C) To annex Cuba
D) To establish land-grant colleges
  • 5. What was the purpose of the Morrill Act?
A) To grant public lands to establish land-grant colleges
B) To settle Mormons in Alaska
C) To punish Paraguay for firing on the USS Water Witch
D) To expand trade with Japan
  • 6. What was Buchanan's goal regarding the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty?
A) To abandon it entirely
B) To enforce it alongside the British
C) To re-negotiate it to counter European imperialism
D) To use it to annex the Bay Islands
  • 7. Which nation did Buchanan order a military expedition against in 1858?
A) Russia
B) Mexico
C) Japan
D) Paraguay
  • 8. What vessel was fired upon by Paraguay, triggering the 1858 expedition?
A) USS Chesapeake
B) USS Constitution
C) USS Monitor
D) USS Water Witch
  • 9. What rumor did Buchanan spread to the Russian ambassador to fuel interest in Alaska?
A) That Japan wanted to purchase Alaska
B) That Mormons intended to emigrate to Russian Alaska
C) That there was vast gold in Alaska
D) That the British were invading Alaska
  • 10. Who was the Russian Foreign Minister who had reservations about selling Alaska?
A) Eduard de Stoeckl
B) Alexander Gorchakov
C) Townsend Harris
D) King Tamatoa V
  • 11. Which treaty allowed the United States to be included in trade with the Qing dynasty?
A) Monroe Doctrine
B) Clayton–Bulwer Treaty
C) Harris Treaty
D) Treaty of Tianjin
  • 12. Which king offered Buchanan a herd of elephants?
A) The Emperor of Japan
B) King Rama IV of Siam
C) King Tamatoa V
D) The Russian Tsar
  • 13. What reason did Abraham Lincoln give for declining the gift of elephants?
A) The U.S. had an unsuitable climate
B) The animals were too expensive to feed
C) He believed it was an inappropriate political gesture
D) The U.S. had no place to house them
  • 14. What were two of Buchanan's presidential pets mentioned in the text?
A) A bear and a bald eagle
B) Elephants and a horse
C) A cat and a parrot
D) Bald eagles and a Newfoundland dog
  • 15. Which Mexican states did Buchanan seek to establish as American protectorates?
A) Oaxaca and Chiapas
B) Coahuila and Durango
C) Chihuahua and Sonora
D) Baja and Sinaloa
  • 16. Which niece did Buchanan have the strongest emotional bond with, who later became First Lady?
A) Sarah Lane
B) Harriet Lane
C) Mary Buchanan
D) Elizabeth Buchanan
  • 17. Who was the Democratic nominee for president in 1848 instead of Buchanan?
A) William R. King
B) Lewis Cass
C) Zachary Taylor
D) Franklin Pierce
  • 18. What term was used to describe Northern politicians like Buchanan who sympathized with the South?
A) Doughface
B) Whig
C) Abolitionist
D) Free Soiler
  • 19. Who won the Democratic presidential nomination in 1852?
A) James Buchanan
B) Franklin Pierce
C) Stephen A. Douglas
D) William L. Marcy
  • 20. Where did Buchanan move after returning to private life in 1849?
A) The White House
B) Washington D.C.
C) Wheatland
D) Philadelphia
  • 21. What was Buchanan's view on who should decide the status of slavery in territories?
A) State legislatures
B) The United States Congress
C) The President of the United States
D) The Supreme Court
  • 22. In what year did James Buchanan pass the bar exam?
A) 1814
B) 1811
C) 1812
D) 1821
  • 23. Where did Buchanan remain after Harrisburg became the capital of Pennsylvania?
A) Pittsburgh
B) Lancaster
C) Philadelphia
D) Baltimore
  • 24. What was Buchanan's annual income by 1821?
A) $15,000
B) $270,000
C) $11,000
D) $8,000
  • 25. Buchanan served as Worshipful Master of which organization in Lancaster?
A) The Pennsylvania State Senate
B) The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania
C) Masonic Lodge No. 43
D) The Federalist Party Chapter
  • 26. Which political party did Buchanan chair in Lancaster?
A) Democratic Party
B) Democratic-Republican Party
C) Federalist Party
D) Whig Party
  • 27. Which President did Buchanan strongly criticize during the War of 1812?
A) George Washington
B) James Madison
C) James Monroe
D) Thomas Jefferson
  • 28. What task did Buchanan assist with in the Baltimore area during the British occupation?
A) Seizing horses for the United States Army
B) Negotiating with British commanders
C) Defending the city from naval bombardment
D) Writing letters to the state government
  • 29. In what year was Buchanan first elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives?
A) 1815
B) 1816
C) 1814
D) 1812
  • 30. What distinction did Buchanan hold upon entering the Pennsylvania House of Representatives?
A) He was the youngest member
B) He was the oldest member
C) He was the first Federalist member
D) He was the most experienced lawyer
  • 31. How long did sessions in the Pennsylvania General Assembly last during Buchanan's tenure?
A) One year
B) Two months
C) Three months
D) Six months
  • 32. What was the date of James Buchanan's birth?
A) April 23, 1792
B) April 23, 1793
C) April 23, 1790
D) April 23, 1791
  • 33. Where was James Buchanan born?
A) Stony Batter farm
B) Carlisle
C) Lancaster
D) Mercersburg
  • 34. How many siblings did James Buchanan have?
A) Nine
B) Eight
C) Ten
D) Eleven
  • 35. Where was James Buchanan's father originally from?
A) England
B) Wales
C) Scotland
D) County Donegal, Ireland
  • 36. In what year did James Buchanan's father immigrate to the United States?
A) 1791
B) 1794
C) 1783
D) 1780
  • 37. To which town did the Buchanan family move in 1794?
A) Mercersburg
B) Lancaster
C) Carlisle
D) Cove Gap
  • 38. Whom did Buchanan credit for his early education?
A) His father
B) James Hopkins
C) The Old Stone Academy
D) His mother
  • 39. Whom did Buchanan credit for having a greater influence on his character?
A) His mother
B) His father
C) James Hopkins
D) His teachers
  • 40. For what was Buchanan nearly expelled from college in 1808?
A) Absence from class
B) Academic failure
C) Cheating on an exam
D) Disorderly conduct
  • 41. Which number president of the United States was James Buchanan?
A) 17th
B) 15th
C) 16th
D) 14th
  • 42. What was Buchanan's political party affiliation during his presidency?
A) Whig
B) Democrat
C) Federalist
D) Republican
  • 43. Who appointed Buchanan as Minister to Russia in 1832?
A) Franklin Pierce
B) James K. Polk
C) Andrew Jackson
D) Abraham Lincoln
  • 44. What Supreme Court case did Buchanan intervene in to secure a pro-slavery ruling?
A) McCulloch v. Maryland
B) Marbury v. Madison
C) Dred Scott v. Sandford
D) Gibbons v. Ogden
  • 45. Which constitution did Buchanan support to admit the Kansas Territory as a slave state?
A) Kansas-Nebraska Act
B) Wilmot Proviso
C) Lecompton Constitution
D) Corwin Amendment
  • 46. Which amendment did Buchanan support in an effort to reconcile the country during the secession crisis?
A) 14th Amendment
B) 13th Amendment
C) 15th Amendment
D) Corwin Amendment
  • 47. In what year did Buchanan's term as president end?
A) 1856
B) 1860
C) 1861
D) 1865
  • 48. How do most historians and scholars rank James Buchanan?
A) Among the worst presidents
B) Among the best presidents
C) As an average president
D) As a transformative president
  • 49. How many terms did Buchanan win in the U.S. House of Representatives?
A) Seven
B) Five
C) Three
D) Ten
  • 50. In what year was Buchanan first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives?
A) 1824
B) 1820
C) 1832
D) 1828
  • 51. Which candidate did Buchanan initially support in the 1824 presidential election?
A) Henry Clay
B) Andrew Jackson
C) James Monroe
D) John Quincy Adams
  • 52. Which committee did Buchanan chair while serving in the House?
A) Foreign Affairs Committee
B) Ways and Means Committee
C) Agriculture Committee
D) Judiciary Committee
  • 53. In what year did Buchanan decline a nomination for the 22nd U.S. Congress?
A) 1832
B) 1828
C) 1830
D) 1831
  • 54. What position were some Pennsylvania Democrats hoping Buchanan would seek in 1832?
A) President
B) Governor of Pennsylvania
C) Vice presidency
D) Secretary of State
  • 55. Who was the Foreign Minister of Russia that Buchanan negotiated with?
A) Tsar Nicholas I
B) Henry Clay
C) James H. Peck
D) Karl Nesselrode
  • 56. How had Buchanan previously characterized Tsar Nicholas I while in Congress?
A) As a great reformer
B) As an ally to the United States
C) As a neutral diplomat
D) As a despot
  • 57. What did Buchanan oppose regarding the Second Bank of the United States?
A) Its relocation to Pennsylvania
B) Its expansion into foreign markets
C) Its re-chartering
D) Its liquidation
  • 58. When did Buchanan's service in the U.S. Senate end?
A) March 1848
B) March 1845
C) March 1836
D) March 1840
  • 59. Which political ideology was Buchanan known for supporting?
A) States' rights
B) Federalist supremacy
C) Socialism
D) Monarchy
  • 60. What was a major concern for Buchanan during the Webster–Ashburton Treaty deliberations?
A) The Mississippi River
B) The Aroostook River Valley
C) The Florida border
D) The Louisiana Purchase
  • 61. What northern border did Buchanan demand during the Oregon Boundary Dispute?
A) 49°00′
B) 54°40′
C) 36°30′
D) 42°00′
  • 62. Which candidate did Buchanan support in the 1838 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election?
A) David Rittenhouse Porter
B) James K. Polk
C) Martin Van Buren
D) William Wilkins
  • 63. Besides states' rights, what other philosophy was Buchanan known for?
A) Pacifism
B) Isolationism
C) Constitutional originalism
D) Manifest destiny
  • 64. How many times had Buchanan previously rejected the position of Minister to the United Kingdom?
A) Three
B) One
C) Four
D) Two
  • 65. In what year did Buchanan sail for England?
A) 1850
B) 1852
C) 1855
D) 1853
  • 66. Who was the British foreign minister that Buchanan met with regarding Central American affairs?
A) Lord Derby
B) Lord John Russell
C) Lord Palmerston
D) Lord Clarendon
  • 67. Besides Central American canals, what territory was Buchanan interested in potentially annexing?
A) Mexico
B) Cuba
C) Nicaragua
D) Honduras
  • 68. In which city did Buchanan meet with Pierre Soulé and John Mason to discuss Cuba?
A) Madrid
B) London
C) Paris
D) Ostend
  • 69. Who was the U.S. Ambassador to Spain during the meeting about Cuba?
A) John Mason
B) Franklin Pierce
C) Lord Clarendon
D) Pierre Soulé
  • 70. What was the name of the document proposing the acquisition of Cuba?
A) The London Agreement
B) Ostend Manifesto
C) The Caribbean Declaration
D) Clayton–Bulwer Document
  • 71. Which act was Buchanan able to avoid debating while serving abroad?
A) Wilmot Proviso
B) Missouri Compromise
C) Kansas–Nebraska Act
D) Fugitive Slave Act
  • 72. Whom did Buchanan praise to a Catholic archbishop while in England?
A) Jesse Bright
B) John Slidell
C) Stephen A. Douglas
D) John Joseph Hughes
  • 73. Which of these men was a powerful Senator who supported Buchanan's nomination?
A) Millard Fillmore
B) Franklin Pierce
C) John C. Frémont
D) John Slidell
  • 74. The 1856 Democratic platform included support for which act?
A) Fugitive Slave Act
B) Alien and Sedition Acts
C) Kansas–Nebraska Act
D) Homestead Act
  • 75. How many ballots did it take for Buchanan to win the Democratic nomination?
A) Seventeen
B) Ten
C) One
D) Five
  • 76. Who was Buchanan's running mate on the 1856 ticket?
A) Thomas F. Bayard
B) John C. Breckinridge
C) Stephen A. Douglas
D) Franklin Pierce
  • 77. Who was the Republican nominee in the 1856 election?
A) Stephen A. Douglas
B) John C. Frémont
C) Millard Fillmore
D) Franklin Pierce
  • 78. What percentage of the popular vote did Buchanan win in 1856?
A) 50 percent
B) 45 percent
C) 55 percent
D) 40 percent
  • 79. How many electoral votes did Buchanan receive?
A) 150
B) 200
C) 174
D) 296
  • 80. In his victory speech, how did Buchanan describe the Republican party?
A) Nationalist
B) Progressive
C) Geographical
D) Moderate
  • 81. How did Buchanan attempt to initially set a sectional balance?
A) Vetoing acts
B) Legislative proposals
C) Public debates
D) Cabinet appointments
  • 82. Who administered the oath of office to Buchanan?
A) Nathan Clifford
B) John Catron
C) Roger B. Taney
D) Lewis Cass
  • 83. What principle did Buchanan support regarding slavery in the territories?
A) Popular sovereignty
B) Congressional regulation
C) Federal prohibition
D) Immediate abolition
  • 84. What health issue did Buchanan contract while staying at the National Hotel?
A) Severe dysentery
B) Pneumonia
C) Tuberculosis
D) Influenza
  • 85. How did historian William G. Shade describe Buchanan's cabinet?
A) Highly effective
B) A disaster
C) A masterpiece of diplomacy
D) An ideological triumph
  • 86. Who was considered the greatest political talent in Buchanan's cabinet?
A) Nathan Clifford
B) Stephen A. Douglas
C) Howell Cobb
D) Lewis Cass
  • 87. How many Supreme Court Justices did Buchanan appoint?
A) Seven
B) Two
C) Zero
D) One
  • 88. Which Justice did Buchanan appoint to the Supreme Court?
A) Roger B. Taney
B) Robert Cooper Grier
C) Nathan Clifford
D) John Catron
  • 89. Who was the Pennsylvania Justice that Buchanan persuaded to join the majority in the Dred Scott case?
A) Roger B. Taney
B) John Catron
C) Nathan Clifford
D) Robert Cooper Grier
  • 90. How did Northerners react to the Dred Scott decision?
A) They requested a retrial
B) They remained indifferent
C) They celebrated it
D) They were infuriated
  • 91. Which influential politician did Buchanan exclude from his cabinet?
A) Lewis Cass
B) Stephen A. Douglas
C) Howell Cobb
D) Roger B. Taney
  • 92. According to historian David W. Blight, what was the 'great pivot on the road to disunion'?
A) The year 1857
B) The year 1861
C) The year 1860
D) The year 1856
  • 93. Which region was more resilient during the Panic of 1857?
A) New York City
B) The agricultural south
C) The western territories
D) Northern cities
  • 94. Who led the Mormons in Utah prior to and during Buchanan's presidency?
A) Brigham Young
B) Alfred Cumming
C) Thomas L. Kane
D) Philip Shriver Klein
  • 95. What was a personal reason Buchanan felt compelled to act against Brigham Young?
A) Young's refusal to pay taxes
B) Young's political alliance with the opposition
C) A personal dispute over land ownership
D) Young's polygamous behavior
  • 96. Who was appointed to replace Brigham Young as governor of Utah?
A) Philip Shriver Klein
B) Alfred Cumming
C) William P. MacKinnon
D) Thomas L. Kane
  • 97. Who did Buchanan send as a private agent to negotiate peace in Utah?
A) William P. MacKinnon
B) Thomas L. Kane
C) Alfred Cumming
D) Franklin Pierce
  • 98. What nickname is given to the Utah War?
A) The Mormon Rebellion
B) The Salt Lake Conflict
C) The Great Western War
D) Buchanan's Blunder
  • 99. What event occurred in September 1857 involving the Utah Territorial Militia?
A) The invasion of California
B) The capture of federal officers
C) The burning of Salt Lake City
D) The Mountain Meadows massacre
  • 100. When did Queen Victoria send a congratulatory message to James Buchanan via the transatlantic telegraph cable?
A) August 18, 1858
B) August 16, 1857
C) August 16, 1858
D) August 16, 1856
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