The public memory goes to those who rose to the occasion. Elizabeth will be sitting here and signing books and they will line up this way. As usual, please help us with the chairs and thank you again. [applause] thank you, everyone. [applause] almanacs washington journal, the militarization of police forces. And. I did my official book launch for both books here. Aryan thinking is to seize been an end a booktv with others talking about books that is fantastic and this is the third time i have been on the program. So that is tremendously exciting to me. Said this book the president s war six american president s and the civil war that divided them for me as a history lover and junkie for what i was before it became an author this is a story that has never been told. We have a right a Record Number of living president s for the of civil war all live to witness Americas National tragedy to oppose and advise president Abraham Lincoln. But the story began with a conversation with a friend of mine mentioning something about Martin Van Buren. You dont normally associate with the civil war with mid19th century and he said he was still alive. I knew instantly i had the idea for my next book. So to tell the story we had to figure out where to start. ; dan on a dinner given early from president jackson so the idea was to plug president Andrew Jackson that they could veto or refuse to be bound by solid which case tax placed of goods into the country for manufacturing them eliminated competition but it was a burden that was the exporting economy to rely on the terrace of free trade to be successful. So South Carolina was threatening to nullify the national tariff. Some of those decided to make their stance in honor of Thomas Jefferson the founder of the Democratic Party. Should be a big night for celebration. They elected there First Official president jackson and had so much to celebrate. But this issue divided them. Then by protocol the organizers they would give the toasted order of their station. And to listen to the organizers and cheering the idea that states could ignore federal law. And then jackson as a senator from tennessee a strong supporter they expected him to give a favorable toast. This is not what happened. That the union must be preserved. No qualification no ifs or ians or buts the union must be preserved like the exploded bomb. Next and the doctrine of nullification that the union was dear to the hearts of sanders with that remarkable statement. [laughter] the insert was Martin Van Buren and secretary of state of the latest dates and said lets remember this country was founded uncompromised. America itself was a compromise the constitution was a compromise them but as always remember compromise has kept us together the various crisis in the past. Said that was the Perfect Place to start as the union must be preserved and is the most tear in remember compromise is kept us together and these are the three philosophies then jacks administration had a congenital defect and this seems ridiculous to divide the government it is called the petticoated fair. Jackson brought friends with him to d. C. From tennessee and one of them he placed his cabinet married a woman to closely following the death of her husband for the likes of calhoun. So this woman and her husband were excluded from the various social functions. But martin film during is a along with the word he has no wife to pull him in one side or the other so it is very easy for him to support the president and the eaton family. And then to offer the resignation as secretary of state. And then to start a over so he was reluctant to a minister to england in martin fearing goes over and two senators henry clay and Daniel Webster conspired so that calhoun as Vice President and theyre only too happy to do it. This is precisely as they have paint planned. Then immediately after the facts said to have broken the ambassador. But calhoun is dropped from the National Ticket them during is added as jacksons running mate. So the legacy that jackson leaves with van buren is not a great one. But amid the speculation with the Housing Market to cause the National Economic collapse. [laughter] fortunately we have learned from these mistakes. [laughter] and then figuring from nearly zero hours looks set day economic crisis. And then to defer to much credit. And van buren is defeated from the slow giving tippecanoe and tyler too and was part of the whigs party they agreed they did not like jackson which was a a good space this and didnt even bother to adopt the platform that they had the democrats on the ropes to win this race. So someone come over states rights. And with that nullification crisis to get them to capitulate. Some of them were angry over jacksons policies and would veto the charter of the bank. Harrison and the famed indian fighter and john tyler from virginia who conspired over the issue of his removal at the bank it was the mid 19th century equivalent of the 2008 Barack Obama Campaign with new innovation. Jackson did increase to the suffrage in more people could vote than ever before more people could read in all these mechanisms for reaching voters and rallies in all kinds of funny events to engage the public in the election so the whigs were quite excited when they could defeat Martin Van Buren but it was shortlived. Harrison was a day 30 days following his inauguration. John tyler how he finds out embodies the role of the Vice President he is on his knees playing marbles with his Young Children in virginia who days of Vice President and the senate is not in session then someone arrives to tell when he has become president he was attracted to the whigs party because of the opposition in tears jackson but tyler himself was an opponent but objected on the way that he thought he could play it in his pocket of tyler disagrees with his party with the competition of the National Bank. But then within tyler spurred a is the gentleman who led torrey accomplished more than most president s could never dreamed of but he really wanted the job for himself but play said for years and it is my term. And then tyler becomes the youngest president in history because he may want to run again so he will have a fight over the National Bank rather than find a compromise. And then is formally expelled from the whig party and the first president to do so maybe it got the last nuclear people firing the of buses outside so he is a man without a party thinking how he can get reelected looking at the democratic nomination. And then offers the seats on the Supreme Court. And then to rise back so tyler sets his site on texas to capture the imagination of the american people. With this country he did in eager for expansion so he sets his sights maniacally on it tai requiring texas and bring it into the union. And then figure is defeated one of the most important rules you have never heard of is called the twothirds rule of the Democratic Convention. In those states required twothirds of those delegates of the convention and this gave the southerners veto power over the choice of the nominee. Mexico is still considered part of the territory and it dictated in the time america was in a position to acquire more territory to cause a major problem and ultimately it would lead to the civil war. But clay was against an tyler considered running as a thirdparty candidate bedouin that party nominated teach golf as a firm supporter of texas annexation he would withdraw from the race but let polk narrowly defeats clay and then he opposes the annexation of texas. So throughout successfully the speaking of unions tithers wife died of he was in office and ended of carrying a 24 yearold when he was 54. Not too bad. [laughter] and ended up getting married to set his sights on his wife which he names Sherwood Forest taken never say the tyler did not have a sense of humor. Tylers neighbors decided they would play a joke on him that was the thankless job and you also had to pay a fine if you did not accept the job. [laughter] but the road map was to fulfill the duties to requisition in people to put them to work whenever he needed so he waited until the harvest was ready. [laughter] he requisitioned everybodys slaves and then they say thank you it is time to hang up you have worked so hard that i have a responsibility to fulfill my duties and that is what i intend to do. [laughter] so he got the last laugh so president poehl will tap somebody then van deere in service as jacksons ambassador to russia and serves in the congress of the United States and as a soldier in the war of 18 to of. Together they would navigate the aftermath of the annexation of texas sold some of the that does mean a war with mexico during the subsequent mexicanamericans and more working on different areas those that were elected to congress as the mexicanamerican war ended his speech said they cost him his political career or near the cave is reelection. So the helped in this former district so then we have Franklin Pierce with the senator from New Hampshire and a young senator his wife hated washington and politics that they were drinking in holding elected office. So to see that to get involved in a big way he becomes a general until the conclusion of the 04 that they would later defeat in a landslide for the presidency and Millard Fillmore that is back in buffalo and took some time off and it totally oppose the mexicanamerican war with James Buchanan to be set up to be polk successor in those were the president s of our active through the civil war itself but polk does science to one turned the sure dispose presidency ever serving a little less than three months before he dies. Then general Zachary Taylor the most popular from that board to be one of the fur seven supporters of Zachary Taylor what do we know . His position on slavery because it has that territory in the left now Pacific Power with the New Territory with something of the proviso amendment offered during the appropriations bill that seeks to prevent the expansion of slavery in the territories and that was taylors position he never voted he said he was whigs but not ultra whigs clay wanted the nomination in the purest whigs wanted nominated but lincoln said we did principle of and now we need to win the. [laughter] said he was one of the first supporters to go out to be proactive so taylor is the nominee for president someones whose beliefs that we know as the southern slave holder as one as the comptroller has still marceaus Zachary Taylor comes in as president the if taylor served out the term. As part of the joint union of the free state you have to give slave states you can come in the way you are. And then to support the belmont proviso so they started to secede there was to be a the convention in national per for which states would leaf. Another a number of compromises come to the floor in congress initiated by henry clay as his finest ever to set up the disputes across the country. Of the territories of arizona and new mexico addressing the slavery but for his perspective that wont work in the desert in any way so it will not work in here. And texas claimed a wide swath of new mexico land and wanted to invade over issa we will extend the boundaries but we will also pay off their debt to satisfy texas. The most controversial is a new fugitive slave law a mechanism for returning slaves to return them to their owners in the south. Not very popular in the north. Said these bills come dressing gold pill and taylor threatened to veto looking at a confrontation and the Southern States. Fillmore actually tells taylor if i am the tie vote i will do it. Not animus to you but the country these the compromise to stay together. But to die during the height of the crisis henry clay is exhausted and a young senator from illinois but now that taylor is gone however. You had the pro slavery element with the centrist group of sanders. Senators in an antislavery senators to created a majority that the north like to put the senate holds together to pass all these bills knowing that tomorrow will sign them. He knows he signs his political death warrant they will have a ton of revisionist criticism even contemporary criticism but it prevents the civil war. They call that the final settlement is bad idea in history to call if i know youre just asking for it to be undone. Which is what happened so fillmore is not a candidate for reelection the wage nominate scott and whigs are dividing over the proviso sea will see a coalescing of parties that is very dangerous for the country to help cause the civil war. And then his colleague that served in congress for the first time Franklin Pierce had gone back to New Hampshire after the mexicanamerican war with his wifes issues and scheming and 1854 remember with 1852 you have the twothirds rule anyone as a front runner could automatically take so many slings and arrows. The front runners for the democrats were james a. Cannon and stephen douglas. They took so many shots at each other the supporters will never come together. So they select Franklin Pierce to serve as the general of the mexicanamerican border and when the messenger showed up here arrived in his carriage been just gets the news. She hates it very much. [laughter] now her husband is going back to politics the biggest way possible. On the way to his inauguration in pierce is involved with a literal train wreck not legislator presidencies. [laughter] his son is sitting right in front of him and watches his son get killed the only casualty it slides over the ravine and everybody gets up end federalizes his only son is gone. Later when Abraham Lincoln and loses his son lincoln writes a very heartfelt note to express condolences despite the sharp differences. Said his presidency is characterized by the kansas nebraska act because they were largely held together by the missouri compromise. Below the law in slavery was permitted above or not drink the territorial phrase. But then he finds he cannot get a pass but then he has to agree not to make it a free territory but the lady is that territories can decide whether or not they are afraid or slaves. So here to someone to detest the abolitionist despite being from the north with the prose of turn the sentiments it is not a big deal to him but to make sure the ground is well surveyed he leverage is all the power of the presidency with the idea that kansas is the territory and he uses the power of the political newspapers it and is barely able to get it passed and theoretically this could be the end of the story to try from a combination of fraud and intimidation in to steal the election despite being vastly outnumbered by antis slavery they end up winning all of the elections for the legislative offices so the free state is marginalized leading to the civil war. This destroys the Democratic Party in the north of a series of former whigs, a small Third Party Committee to the expansion in the west and former democrats will join together to form the Republican Party. Of middle aged lawyer in illinois named lincoln going through a midlife crisis is determined at that point he will fill the late long dream the lifelong dream to become president of. An energetic and a bright man in sensing his presidency destroyed we start to see the party segregating polaris alliance, the Democratic Party straw in the south and this new Republican Party gaining steam throughout north. And 71856 and irony of ironies, Franklin Pierce wants to run for reelection. No and accomplice to this. He trusted his biggest competitor of the country, James Buchanan. Paxon of england. In the book had to tell how his first Foreign Policy objective was to try to convince James Buchanan to take this job. He succeeds in sending him to england. You have a great shot at getting a second term. Obviously that is all changed. The Democratic Party has talked to the one person who is untainted. So buchanan comes back tramping from england. The one person who has not taken up position. He is nominated by the Democratic Party for president. The Republican Party nominates john c. Friedman as the first nominee for president general. This is the last election of the old america. You see a paradigm shift. The democrats have completely screwed things up. They brought the possibility of slavery. Things are getting violent. Theyre murdering each other over the slavery issue. But come to life. So why the democrats win in 1856, well, i think that when in 1856, the last vote for the Market Status quo. The markets are doing great. Nominating stricken northern parties, republicans, were committed to preventing the expansion of slavery and might trigger civil war. Civil war, they