14.+Franklin+Pierce

﻿ //"Franklin Pierce was one of the least known, least liked, and least successful presidents in American history."// **By: Angelica Michalak <3**

Pierce was born on November 23, 1804 in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. His father was politically active having first fought in the Revolutionary War and then served in various offices in New Hampshire including being Governor of the State. Pierce went to a local school and two academies before attending Bowdoin College (he was sixteen when attending the college!) in Maine. He studied with both Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He graduated fifth in his class and then studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1827. In 1834 Pierce married Jane Means Appleton. They had three sons all of whom died by the age of twelve. The youngest, Benjamin, died in a train accident soon after Pierce was elected president.
 * __Early Life:__ **

Franklin Pierce began practicing law before being elected as a member of the New Hampshire legislature 1829-33. He then became a U.S. Representative from 1833-37 and then Senator from 1837-42. He resigned from the Senate to practice law. He joined the military in 1846-8 to fight in the Mexican War.
 * __Career Before Presidency:__ **

He was nominated as the candidate for the Democratic Party in 1852. He ran against war hero Winfield Scott. The main issue was how to deal with slavery, appease or oppose the South. The Whigs were divided in support of Scott. Pierce won with 254 out of 296 electoral votes.
 * __Becoming President__: **

Pierce was president at a critical time in American History. The country was becoming more polarized into Northern and Southern interests. The issue of slavery became once again front and center with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Obviously, the nation was headed towards a confrontation. (Civil War)
 * __Historical Significance__: **

In 1854, the **Kansas-Nebraska Act passed allowing settlers in Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide for themselves whether slavery would be allowed.** This is known as popular sovereignty.The Kansas-Nebraska act put an end to the Missouri Compromise that said slavery in US territories was not permitted north of the southern Missouri state border(except in Missouri) and that popular sovereignty would be used in each territory to decide whether or not slavery was to be permitted within the territory.Pierce supported this bill (Kansas- Nebraska Act) which caused great dissension and much fighting in the territories, but was very important in the history of the United States.
 * __Accomplishments of Franklin Pierce's Presidency__: **

__**Criticism: **__ One issue that caused a lot of criticism against Pierce was the Ostend Manifesto. This was a document published in the New York Herald which stated that if Spain was not willing to sell Cuba to the U.S., the United States would consider taking aggressive action to get it.

__**Conclusion: **__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Pierce's presidency was met with much criticism and dissension. Therefore, he was not renominated to run in 1856. Pierce was a very strong individual throughout his whole life. He died in 1869. Although he was not the United State's best president, a president is a president and should be respected and honored no matter what.