Judging the Franklin Pierce presidency, one of the worst

[@williamg780]

Freshman year of college we had to write a paper on an American historical topic within a particular time frame. This paper had to be between 1840-1865. I knew everyone would write about the Civil War so I challenged myself to do it on Franklin Pierce so that it would stick out more. Never learned about Pierce but learning about him showed me the impossible political circumstances leading up to the war, as well as giving me a sense that he was constantly someone plagued by depression and at the behest of others. Certainly was not the best president, but learning about the man was truly heart breaking. I got a the best grade in the class and the professor was very impressed. It was almost the first time I ever pulled an all nighter at the school library. I really am glad I took the time to learn about Pierce.

[@jschnabes13]

His son dying in train crash really messed him up. He became a severe alcoholic as well.

[@Laval-59]

If you do that same research into Donald Trump you would realize his father deeply insisted that losing is never an option. On top of generational racism. That combined with criminal level narcissism has created a very selfish and dangerous person. A truly deranged and self absorbed man with very deep insecurities . ( created by his overbearing father) Trump, a very thin skinned man who can not handle the pressure and, or the responsibility of a presidential seat. Besides the man is a convicted sexual predator.

[@collegeman1988]

Although your paper was about Franklin Pierce, who was President of the United States before the Civil War, I think it would have been an even bigger challenge to limit the timeline in American history to 1841-1860 or 1870 to 1889, which were the periods before the Civil War and after Reconstruction, which is a time that few Americans know much about. American history after Martin Van Buren and before Abraham Lincoln was filled with a bunch of unremarkable presidents who didn’t do much to solve the issues caused by slavery in our country, and after the remaining Confederate states were readmitted into the Union. There were a number of historical events that caused former black slaves freed from slavery to lose rights and freedoms granted to them by the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to the United States Constitution that were only granted to them again during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

[@lovephillies1]

What college did you attend?

[@BigNoseDog]

Franklin Pierce sounds like the name a Hollywood writer would come up with for a fictional President.

[@00hooper]

You mean similar to Benjamin Franklin Pierce (‘Hawkeye’) from MASH?

[@jonathancobb3522]

mash lol

[@BigBadJerryRogers]

I think the most stereotypical in modern times was Warren Harding by name and appearance, for Hollywood. Trump is a great name, the greatest thing about the man, but it's fictitious, we know his family name was Drumph.

[@charlesthomas9960]

“All the worlds a stage”…seems more appropriate as we get older…especially now!

[@BigNoseDog]

@@BigBadJerryRogershistory will rank Trump lower than Pierce.

[@nghtwtchmn129]

Pierce's Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, did much to modernize the U.S. Army that ironically would later be used against him. Davis was also responsible for dispatching the survey teams that laid out the routes of what would become the transcontinential railroads.

[@magiccitymelkite6161]

The second one is ironic as well because Jefferson Davis was a Democrat and the transcontinental railroad industry would become a critical source of support for the Republican Party for many years to come.

[@classiclife7204]

Also ironically, Davis was far more notable than Pierce himself, as your comment demonstrates!

[@mikebrase5161]

Jefferson Davis also had the US Army survey and start building what would eventually become Highway 99 on the west coast stretching from the North in Canada to the south in California.

[@davidh9844]

@@mikebrase5161 THAT is interesting! I had no idea.

[@BookofFuture]

Jefferson Davis betrayed his country to preserve slavery.

[@jarrodbarkley9061]

I love Mo Rocca's presidential stories.

[@lewstone5430]

Rocca’s presidential segments are my favorite segments on this show.

[@judethaddeus9856]

Anything Mo Rocco does is fun

[@futurepresidentwilliamreed9155]

Me too!!!!

[@nathanseper8738]

Mo Rocca should have a history show!

[@futurepresidentwilliamreed9155]

@@nathanseper8738 YESSSS!!!!!!!!

[@attackfive8659]

Pierce…a sad, amiable, well-meaning man who lacked the discernment and strategic depth to lead his country in one of its most troubled times.

[@GiordanDiodato]

I don't blame him. He lost his son Benjamin in front of him in a horrific train crash that nearly decapitated the boy. And both he and his wife witnessed it.

[@kaysguy]

He apparently started drinking then and fell into depression.

[@waldolydecker8118]

"Pierce...a sad, amiable, well-meaning man.." Here's a translation for those of you who don't understand apologist obfuscation: Pierce...an incompetent, morally-bankrupt alcoholic racist; traits that provided him no discernment and strategic depth to lead his country in one of its most troubled times. See how its so much easier to understand once the clutter is removed?

[@Laval-59]

That sounds just like Trump..!!!

[@teds9896]

No it doesn't.@@Laval-59

[@robertzastrow4648]

Learning of Willie Lincoln's death, Pierce wrote a very nice sympathetic letter to Abraham Lincoln, mentioning the loss of Pierce's son Benjamin to Lincoln. Lincoln never replied back to Pierce.

[@LBF522]

What a shame. It was a nice thing that Pierce did however.

[@epa2349]

Lincoln was probably busy with something called Civil war, I guess

[@LBF522]

@@epa2349 Good point and maybe they did not like each other.

[@russellconner3468]

@@LBF522 Pierce was indeed critical of Lincoln during his term.

[@LBF522]

@@russellconner3468 Oh OK I understand.

[@ezekiekr8475]

I often wonder if his personal struggles (strained marriage, depression, alcoholism, and death of his son) clouded his judgement during his presidency.

[@capoislamort100]

For a northerner, he gave the south to much leeway and gave way to a series of events that would culminate to the civil war.

[@ezekiekr8475]

@@capoislamort100 what I meant was as wrong as he was, he never even attempted to be tactical about it.

[@michaelshultz1590]

Nope. He was a Democrat and he acted like a Democrat. He worked very hard to promote and enforce their values.

[@Skank_and_Gutterboy]

How would it not? I'd give that a big YES.

[@BryanHistory]

Kansas Nebraska really shouldn't fall on him. 1850 compromise null and voided the Missouri compromise. This video fails to show that he took out the crooked politicians which caused blow back on him. I ranked him as a low C.

[@DummyYEEEAAHHHHH]

Idk man, almost every woman I know says JFK was the most handsome..... Also am I the only one who thinks Pierce looks like Mitt Romney with a colonial haircut ? 😆😆😆

[@michaelshultz1590]

I’m not a woman, but I think W is probably the most handsome. I do not think that JFK was handsome.

[@michaelshultz1590]

@loudnsounds Yes. Whether you like him or not, many women think W is handsome. I’m not a woman, and I’m straight, but I can see it. He is much better looking than JFK ever was.

[@SpeedyWings2323]

I see Putin now

[@michaelshultz1590]

@loudnsounds No, I am not gay. I am in fact straight. W has never been a war criminal. In order to be a war criminal you would have to commit war crimes. W never did that. Maybe you’re hanging out with man hating left wing fanatics? As a conservative, I hang out with far more attractive women that actually like men. The fact that you felt the need to add the laughing emoji not once, but twice, reveals that you lack confidence in your statements. It’s a tell. As a Marine that focused on law enforcement and crime scene investigation and then as a Sheriff’s Deputy and then Sergeant, I am very experienced in recognizing and understanding tells. It’s what I do for a living. You’re an open book.

[@yu4ia]

@@michaelshultz1590 so is it true that marines give good head?

[@TaraColquitt]

This is an interesting historical piece and what I never learned in school. Thanks @CBS Sunday Morning and @Mo Rocca. This is why I never miss an episode.

[@BillyN31]

I agree. It’s nice and short and to the point.

[@silkwoodart]

Who, (besides you), trusts a news organization that is politically biased and doctors the news for political gain on a daily basis, actually believes they tell the truth? If they can't get the current fresh facts right, what makes you think they will do any better with history? Stop being lazy. Do your own research.

[@InfernoProj]

Why would you spend any time on this in school? What transferable skill would that give you over the ability to read/write/do math. Weird to add that in the comment. edit: if it was in the curriculum you would’ve tuned it out with the rest let’s be honest with ourselves lol

[@silkwoodart]

Joe Biden's presidency will rival the worst president in American history, thanks to uninformed Democrat voters that voted Democrat because it was expected of them to do so. Black folks need to vote as individual Americans and not as a race immersed in Orwellian groupthink.

[@r.d.493]

I wish they had interviewed Pierce’s biographer Peter Wallner. His two-volume biography on Pierce was the first published in decades and was written to re-evaluate Pierce’s legacy. That was no easy task since Pierce either didn't keep or destroyed personal records, like diaries and letters. I don’t know why the biography is out of print, but if you're interested and can track down copies, it might be worth reading.

[@andan04]

I have a guess as to why a two-volume biography of Franklin Pierce is out of print.

[@bscottb8]

Does a two-volume biography by an apologist sound compelling?

[@waldolydecker8118]

@@bscottb8 - to other apologists like the originator of this post...its "essential" reading. Next he'll tell us he just read a two-volume biography of Charles Manson and learned he was actually a "family man."

[@PittsburghPenguin]

I’d read it. 💯 would.

[@RashBold]

From Roy Franklin Nichols' biography of Franklin Pierce, we have this tidbit: Jeanie Pierce was not enthusiastic about her husband Franklin's political aspirations and stayed in their home in New Hampshire while Franklin roomed alone in a boarding house in Washington while serving in the Senate. That changed when their youngest son Benjamin was born in 1841 after losing two others in infancy, and Franklin resigned his Senate seat in order to devote his time with his family. He renounced all political ambitions, even declining a cabinet position in the Polk administration. This changed when the Democratic party in NH named him as a favorite son candidate, but no one seriously thought he stood a chance of receiving the nomination. But when ballot after ballot yielded no viable candidate, the party decided to look around for a dark horse. Franklin was chosen, and he received the nomination on the 49th ballot. Jeanie Pierce was not happy. Franklin argued that he did not want the nomination but decided to yield for the nation's sake as well as for their son Benjamin. Jeanie Pierce acquiesced, and her husband was elected in November 1852 on a landslide. However, it turned out that Franklin did actively seek the nomination and lied to Jeanie about his "passive" activities. This, coupled with the accidental death of their son Benjamin on January 6, 1853, broke Jeanie, losing faith in her husband's integrity and mourning the loss of their son. The relationship between the President-elect and his wife had deteriorated after that. By the time Franklin Pierce was sworn in as President on March 4, 1853, the youngest man to be elected to that position at that time, he was already exhausted and depressed over his personal life.

[@chrisandersen5635]

Steady flow of guano. So why does he have such a crappy reputation? I just about lost it there.😂😂😂😜😜😜 Well done sir.

[@Ninjacakester]

He has a bad reputation because people don't like that he tried to compromise with both anti-slavery and pro-slavery people of the 1800s.

[@stephenpenrice1230]

Don’t forget “scooped up the rights”.

[@robertmoore6149]

Jane Pierce: goes into mourning for 2 years Queen Victoria: Hold my beer

[@tammylewis2408]

Queen Victoria: Hold my sherry.

[@scottfarmer8758]

Franklin Pierce wasn't a bad person, he just allowed people to walk all over him.

[@bbrathizza2075]

Plus he lost everyone tragically, and came in during the worst part of US history

[@Red-xg2ym]

No president we had was just bad, it’s more than just good or bad.

[@GiordanDiodato]

he had a lot on his mind

[@waldolydecker8118]

No bigot is really a bad person...ask a relative, they will tell you.

[@ac1888]

@@waldolydecker8118Beautifully stated👍

[@justinp5661]

Pierce might have been different if his son hadn't died on the way to Washington. I feel for him.

[@muffs55mercury61]

Yes the personal problems really hurt matters. Son killed and Pierce's wife was a nervous wreck (and invalid) for the rest of her life.

[@byanymeansnecessary9329]

His son's death caused him to support slavery? You people look for anything to hide the truth.

[@justinp5661]

@@byanymeansnecessary9329 his son was decapitated in front of him. You know zip about what that does to a man. He became an alcoholic.

[@byanymeansnecessary9329]

@@justinp5661 don't care, he deserves worse

[@GiordanDiodato]

yeah. No wonder he basically drank himself to death

[@mililaniman]

I didn't know that Pierce's efforts led to the Civil War. I appreciate what he did to make stamps easier to use.

[@pcbacklash_3261]

He wasn't alone in that regard, unfortunately. Buchanan also did a lot to make a bad situation worse. In fact, I've seen Buchanan ranked at the very bottom by more than one historian. Of course, that was before Donald Trump came along...

[@jamestomkin8119]

@@pcbacklash_3261 Don't forget George W. Bush!

[@russbear31]

@@jamestomkin8119 Ironically, W is a blood relative of Pierce, through his mother Barbara Bush. Incompetence must be genetic.

[@Tony-ex2rm]

@@pcbacklash_3261 All things being equal. Trump and Biden and quality of leadership are in the same boat.

[@pcbacklash_3261]

@@Tony-ex2rm I very strongly disagree. The jury is still out on Biden, though he CLEARLY has demonstrated much greater leadership than Trump in both the COVID crisis and the Ukrainian crisis. But Trump's four years in office were rife with corruption, incompetence, recklessness and raging personal disorders. Any rational and objective observer could clearly see that the ONLY thing that kept things from being much, much worse were the confines of his office at the time.

[@RebekahCurielAlessi]

I am so sad he lost his children.

[@PHlophe]

he led to civil war

[@byanymeansnecessary9329]

Those children would have been racist white supremacists who supported slavery just like him, better off dead.

[@jamalwilburn228]

@@PHlophe The Civil War was going to happen no matter

[@goldenager59]

@@byanymeansnecessary9329 You seem very confident in your certainty. 🙄 😒

[@byanymeansnecessary9329]

@@goldenager59 BETTER OFF DEAD. The history of genocide and slavery against my peoples makes me certain. Even your so called good ones where white supremacists.

[@Freakears]

I'm surprised they didn't mention his being known as a "dough face," a term meant to refer to a northern man with southern principles.

[@frigginjerk]

They had a lot of interesting disparaging terms back then. Dough face, copperhead, scalawag, carpetbagger...

[@57highland]

​@@frigginjerkAfter the war, they had "mugwump", which I think meant someone who "bolted" his party at a crucial time, usually the campaign season.

[@oriraykai3610]

I thought Millard Fillmore was most famous as a "doughface" though...

[@treelynn1533]

In the capital of KS we have all the presidents as street names EXCEPT Pierce. KS is no fan of him either.

[@stevenmaginnis1965]

An Obama Avenue? Well, his maternal grandparents were from Kansas . . . Chicago stopped naming streets for Presidents after Fillmore. Gee, wonder why?

[@treelynn1533]

It ended at Lincoln because he was in the Whitehouse when we gained statehood in 1861. I live just off Lincoln and think about him frequently. We have a beautiful statue of him on the statehouse lawn as well. Lincoln is loved in the wheat state.

[@jamalwilburn228]

Makes sense because of "Bleeding Kandas"

[@jshepard152]

Pierce has now been surpassed.

[@ryancruz1876]

By trump.

[@BORN-to-Run]

@@ryancruz1876 By Obama!

[@theresanakagawa5013]

​@@BORN-to-Runcorrection, President Obama rank 12th overall. Trump ranked last. Facts are Facts. Truth matters. Democracy matters.

[@patriley9449]

@@ryancruz1876 It is now July of 2024 and Biden has clearly shown that he is much inferior toTrump and maybe even worse than Obama, his handler.

[@ibtunesoriginals2629]

By the president from independence day

[@jessetorres8738]

13th President Millard Fillmore thinking: Ha, that guy's a loser. 15th President James Buchanan thinking: Man, that guy's so lucky.

[@truth2power463]

45th President, Donald Trump thinking: "I beat them all at being the worst! That means I'm the best!"

[@CraftySouthpaw]

@@truth2power463 46th (p)resident Bidumb: "My butt's been wiped!"

[@truth2power463]

@@CraftySouthpaw lol! That just about sums him up as well. :)

[@RaymondHng]

I just dawned on me that we have three parallel streets in one neighborhood in my city named Pierce, Fillmore, and Buchanan.

[@zachdirects]

Millar fill deez nuts

[@MCastleberry1980]

I've seen it argued that Pierce was so devastated and depressed over the death of his son that he really wasn't the man people elected when in office and just went through the motions of the presidency.

[@adamcarlo7666]

How many Americans even know who Franklin Pierce was? He's right up there with Zachary Taylor in historical obscurity.

[@AbsoluteNut1]

Don't be dissin' Millard Fillmore.

[@BuildHousing]

Almost a million people live in Pierce County, Washington, which is named after the president.

[@adamcarlo7666]

@@BuildHousing RIght and how many of them know their county is named after a former POTUS? I'm sure most don't.

[@spitshinetommy3721]

Zachary Taylor died very early in his term, which contributes to his obscurity. Pierce, like Fillmore and Buchanan, were just dreadful presidents, cowards one and all.

[@tammylewis2408]

He is also the ancestor of former First Lady Barbara Bush and former President George W. Bush. Note the striking resemblance between Franklin Pierce and Bush 43, there are similar parallels to their presidencies.

[@pardyhardly]

This doesn't mention that Pierce's alcoholism and depression had made him almost nonfunctional in the office. His hours were erratic and bills were left unsigned. The upkeep of The White House also deteriorated, and he did almost none of his ceremonial duties.

[@chesterplemany]

Finally someone said it!

[@BigBadJerryRogers]

It's almost as if there should be a way to remove a dysfunctional alcoholic, mentally ill or perhaps law breaking traitor from being the president. Ah well.

[@waldolydecker8118]

Dude was a bum, but the apologists will never stop trying to rescue and revise him. This is what they do.

[@df5295]

Maybe he was suffering from depression over his son's death.

[@mmmtsp]

People seemed to like him because he was polite, and rarely late.

[@PHlophe]

He was a punctual Bandit !

[@RevLeigh55]

To be fair his last surviving son (he had three) died in a train accident as the family was heading to Washington. The deep grief no doubt colored his ability to serve.

[@josephthomasjr.6551]

Franklin Pierce, I have been told, is an ancestor of Bush 43 through his mother: Barbara Pierce Bush.

[@thegamingmisanthrope8320]

That portrait of him at 4:51 definitely resembles George W Bush.

[@caronstout354]

Robert Wuhl gives the details on his show "Assume The Position 101 & 201"

[@ragantate3995]

It’s true

[@patrickwilson2650]

There another mark on the family name. He sucks as a politician

[@danthemankhan]

Can't be an ancestor if all of his kids died in childhood.

[@TOSStarTrek]

Children dying young was not uncommon at one time. It is very rare these days.

[@lewstone5430]

“And the Children Shall Lead”

[@Tripps2564]

We forget how HALF of children died before 5 at that time. 😢

[@Flirri]

But still, parents didn't usually lose all of their children young.

[@aaronthenorm5400]

Unless one is colored! sadly

[@Mozart12201]

@@aaronthenorm5400 Unless one is WHAT?

[@stevenmaginnis1965]

We could have done worse than Pierce. Then in 1857, we did - with James Buchanan.

[@Chase0370]

Harding carter Obama . Joe set the record.

[@ac9559]

You mean in 2021 with Brandon.

[@worldrover436]

And let's not forget Obama and the current President!

[@lif3andthings763]

@@worldrover436 lol

[@PKMNFan4664]

I'm surprised none of the above people mentioned how Donald Trump was the worst president in United States history.

[@SiVlog1989]

6:10 Franklin Pierce was the 14th, right? Just did a double take at the Newspaper cutting, that said "Franklin Pierce, twelfth President of the United States," the actual 12th President was Zachary Taylor, the only President from Louisianna

[@daggerhell99]

He was the twelfth-elected president, and some back then felt Tyler and Fillmore should be considered "Acting President " instead of an actual president.

[@danthemankhan]

They didn't consider VPs who got the job due to death as full Presidents. This was a major controversy during the John Tyler administration.

[@AmericanActionReport]

The interviewee at the end of the video avoided the question. When asked if Franklin Pierce deserved to be considered the worst President, the person interviewed said only that Pierce "wasn't a terrible, awful person."

[@hectorheathcote9495]

Biden has Pierce beat by a mile for worst president ever.

[@AmericanActionReport]

@@hectorheathcote9495 I can't help but wonder just why Pierce is (or was) considered the worst President ever. He got it wrong on the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and that's pretty much it. He oversaw the Gadsden Purchase, a treaty opening trade with Japan, the Canadian Reciprocity Treaty, and a law granting citizenship to children born abroad to American citizens. Unlike Wilson and many others, he didn't start any wars or get America needlessly involved in wars. He didn't consolidate more power into the Oval Office, he didn't expand the federal government's power at the expense of the People; and, unlike Biden, he didn't have the Medusa touch, turning everything he touched into a catastrophe.

[@byanymeansnecessary9329]

He only supported slavery

[@AmericanActionReport]

@@byanymeansnecessary9329 The question is not whether Franklin Pierce was a model for twenty-first century values but "Should he be considered America's worst President and why?" I found no evidence that he "supported slavery," either in actions or in words, only that he made some misjudgments that according to some historians, turned out to be non-productive. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, Andrew Johnson, and Ulysses S. Grant all held slaves. Abraham Lincoln inherited slaves from his father-in-law, and there seems to be no record of whether he sold them or emancipated them. Thus, one could argue that as many as thirteen Presidents "supported slavery" by their actions. By what reasoning, then, could Franklin Pierce be considered a worse President than all other Presidents, including the thirteen who held slaves?

[@matthewnikitas8905]

James Buchanan is undoubtedly the worst. But he is maybe in the bottom 3.

[@charlespeterwatson9051]

I learned about Franklin Pierce from Robert Wuhl's "Assume The Position". Pierce was Barbara Bush Sr.'s ancestor. He was not only the first and only President to not get his own party's nomination for re-election, but he was also the first to commit a DWI, running down a woman.

[@davidh9844]

Looks like Brandon, yet another worthless Democrat, is about to follow in his footsteps - about not getting his party's nomination for re-election. Oh, DWI is not possible. Automobiles won't be invented for about 50 years after he's dead. Perhaps you meant RWI?

[@charlespeterwatson9051]

@@davidh9844 He was driving a horse drawn carriage at the time so it's still applicable.

[@spitshinetommy3721]

True. Fillmore also failed to win the nomination from his party, but he was never elected POTUS in his own right.

[@HappyGoLucky-tr8bo]

She wasn’t a descendant of Franklin Pierce but a 4th cousin 4x removed.

[@archfapper211]

Didn't Grover Cleveland want a third term?

[@gailjarvis2592]

Franklin Pierce's reputation has been rescued by biographers like Peter Wallner in his two volume biography. Wallner avoids the simplistic cliched portrayals of Pierce and presents a fact based account of Franklin Pierce.- a president we can admire. A photo copy of a painting of Pierce hangs on the wall in my study,

[@derrick1916-i7d]

Pierce is one of the most interesting presidents we have had. Awesome guy; charming, outgoing, personable, witty, he would be a guy standing here before us asking questions to us about our interests and what we do, and being selfless.

[@waldolydecker8118]

" a fact-based account?" You mean Pierce didn't fully support the Confederacy and he didn't really sign the Kansas-Nebraska Act...his signature was forged on the bill? Interesting revisionism. Hope you still have room in your Study for the Trump two-volume Biography and painting.

[@monolith94]

@@waldolydecker8118 you are deranged

[@danthemankhan]

@@waldolydecker8118 Pierce didn't support the Confederacy (he was also no fan of Lincoln's) and nobody suggested that he didn't sign the K-N Act.

[@waldolydecker8118]

@@danthemankhan - Your claim lacks fact and logic. The most decorated scholars of American history are clear and uniform that Pierce was a racist with regard to black Americans. Any racist in 1853 is going to support the Confederacy, either directly or indirectly. Its not even a debatable issue. I understand your desire not to want to accept or acknowledge this fact...as Colonel Jessup made abundantly clear...some people simply cannot handle the truth.

[@Marylandbrony]

As a person whose first name is Pierce. Its fun to hear about this President.

[@PHlophe]

its about 10 millions of Pierce. so uh.. you can't be related

[@daveh1869]

His first name was Franklin.

[@jonathanjensen3139]

Maybe my standards are low....Did his coup attempt to overturn a fair and open election he lost lead to a violent insurrection at the seat of Federal power???

[@CraftySouthpaw]

You mean The Civil War?

[@MIC__lunatic]

An unarmed insurrection of a couple hundred bozos led by the grand Qbaah of the royal order of water buffaloes. Put the PCP down dusthead you're delusional

[@abrahamdominguez5517]

A coup? Yes. An unarmed arm with a Viking hat is the definition of a coup lol. The buffoonery.

[@michaelshultz1590]

The problem with your question is that Trump did not attempt a coup and the people that stormed the Capital Building acted on their own. As such, your question is invalid.

[@CraftySouthpaw]

@@MIC__lunatic According to liberals, "Jan 6" was worse than the Civil War, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11 *combined.*

[@lawrencefeldman7744]

Thumbnail looks like Tucker Carlson and Larry Fine had a mid air collision. There can be no one worse than 45.

[@crazyman8472]

“Franklin Pierce is the Franklin Pierce of fighting; which is to say, he is a bad fighter.” 😜 -from “How To Fight Presidents”, by Daniel O’Brien

[@johncollins7062]

Actually, Franklin Pierce is the third best president in history. He is one of only three who reduced the national debt, 60%!

[@crazyman8472]

@@johncollins7062 Yeah, but how would he do in a bare-knuckle brawl? 😈

[@danthemankhan]

In regards to the K-N Act, Pierce's other vetoes seem to fall along the (then common) ideological line that the Presidential veto was intended for use only when Congress passed a law the President deemed unconstitutional. He very well may have not felt he had the authority to veto a Constitutional bill.

[@Ibelikemj]

2:37, that laugh is not something you want to hear when trying to say he wasn’t bad 😂

[@ninjaeagleart]

Honestly, I think that his hate is too unfair. He just had extremely terrible luck. He also came into Presidency at a bad time. Anyone who would’ve become 14th President also would’ve likely be titled one of the worst. My mans tried and worked hard despite his terrible life.

[@cellpat2686]

His shirts say: F. Pierce. Some people in his day: darn right!

[@BrianRoberson-k7g]

It wasn't just his bad policy decisions; Pierce wasn't even functional in the job. He would often go days without going to his desk. Bills would go unsigned, and he would miss meetings. At the time, the First Family was expected to do all of the household maintenance in the Executive Mansion, and when they left the place was dusty and full of cobwebs and dirty dishes. It turned out that he was an alcoholic and his wife an opium addict, probably due to seeing their son get decapitated in front of them. It would be a valid speculation that he was crippled by PTSD while in the office.

[@jakes3799]

I've always thought that Pierce as one of of worst Presidents was ridiculous. The sole reason for labeling him as such was signing the Kansas-Nebraska Act into law. But most legislators at the time believed it was the right move. The most prominent people were in favor of it. Douglas, the great compromiser was a big proponent of it. How can you call him one of the worst Presidents for signing a law that almost everyone at the time thought was a good idea. Yes, you can absolutely say it brought in the beginning of the end. But Pierce was a President, not a fortune-teller.

[@squid.com8927]

many people hated that legislation because it through out the missouri compromise and the backlash was so great that it destroyed the whig party and motivated the founding of the GOP

[@derrick1916-i7d]

Pierce made the right move. He was huge on the constitution... We The People. Those traveling out west, they were brave and hoping to have a better life and everything. But at the end of the day, Pierce didn't want big government involved, and gave them the freedom to choose. Freedom of choice, what more can you want? The actions of those settlers unfrankly led to this historical reputation. Not fair to Pierce, he tried

[@nashidabdulrahmaan]

Something about this reasoning doesn't sit quite right with me.

[@nashidabdulrahmaan]

@@derrick1916-i7d Freedom and Justice are born together and must not be separated. We must be willing to sacrifice a bit of freedom for the sake of justice, but never be willing to sacrifice a bit of justice for the sake of freedom.

[@ernieherrera1034]

Like it or not, it comes with the "territory ".

[@ellioteaston7745]

“He wasn’t a terrible, awful person”, not exactly a ringing endorsement.

[@BigBadJerryRogers]

That would make him a saint compared to Trump

[@johntremmel3949]

Pierce got a break on worst president when 45 came along, he wins it going away!

[@jec1ny]

Pierce wasn't just trying to accommodate the South. He actually was on their side. Pierce supported slavery and detested abolitionists. I'm not going to judge the man's soul. That's above my paygrade. But if you abhor slavery, then Pierce doesn't come off looking too good. During the Civil War some of his letters were intercepted and published in which he expressed sympathy for the Confederacy. That pretty much finished off whatever reputation he had left. That said, I will concede that he had more than his share of personal tragedy. As noted, all of his children died young. And he struggled with alcohol for most of his life. While his wife, who was deeply religious, lived; Pierce was able to stay on the wagon. But after her death, he crawled back into the bottle and died of alcoholism largely unmourned.

[@russellconner3468]

Thank you. You make a very valid point that despite not being a Southerner nor owning slaves himself, he was a fervent defender and protector of Slavery and its expansion. Had he not signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act I could have more sympathy for him. It was an unmitigated disaster. His reputation as a bad President is well deserved.

[@theanswerisaliens7690]

What about James Buchanan? He's the true worst

[@lwmson]

Given the terrible personal tragedies he endured, it's rather easy to understand how he couldn't have focused on the demanding duties of being a U.S. president. Sadly, but understandably, he died an alcoholic.

[@b.whisky9438]

President Franklin Pierce- I"m the worst President in US History!! President Jimmy Carter- No!! I'm the worst President in US History!! President Joe Biden- HOLD MY BEER!!

[@johnfritz2944]

Exactly, nailed it..

[@FYMASMD]

Reagan,Bush1&2, and Drumpf!! Yeah your a smooth brain person.🙄

[@gusgus8134]

He wasn't the worst president. We had that one the time before.

[@rion-cd8kg]

He has a name....D.J. Trump!

[@dariel7001]

@@rion-cd8kg Biden?

[@gusgus8134]

@@rion-cd8kg Oh yeah, right. Ya mean the Adolph, kitty cat grabbing, pie hole of 30,000+ lies? Ain't he a gem!

[@CraftySouthpaw]

"Before"? You mean Biden's presidency has ended?

[@kleeamd8274]

@@rion-cd8kg Yeah, definitely NOT Biden, right?? - whose accomplishments in his 1st year in office include: - the fall of Afghanistan & all the US citizens he left stranded there -the ongoing border crisis & the nearly 15,000 Haitian migrants that were living under a bridge in Del Rio, TX for months! - the unconstitutional vaccine mandates & the nationwide staff shortages they caused -the supply crisis that has left store shelves empty across the US - the rising inflation & the fact that many people can't afford groceries as good prices climb - the rising cost of fuel, meanwhile Biden shut down the Keystone pipeline 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 ALL THIS IN BIDEN'S FIRST YEAR. Yeah, but Trump is the worst 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Delusional liberals at their finest Oh, by the way - Biden's approval ratings are at a HISTORIC LOW 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@betsyduane3461]

My family myth was that we are related to Pierce. We have many Pierce's on one side but since the president never had kids who lived to adulthood it's doubtful it's a direct connection.

[@aperson22222]

Maybe you’re related to Barbara Bush-née Pierce.

[@waldolydecker8118]

Strange you would want to make that claim, given the total incompetent the guy was in office....a Confederate sympathizer all the way to his alcoholic grave. Sad. All the lives wasted and killed from his signing of the Kansas-Nebraska pro-slavery act.

[@jamesl9371]

No mention of the alcoholism? It’s a significant thing about his life

[@ianbauer4703]

Everybody back then was alcoholic...on cider.

[@jamesl9371]

@@ianbauer4703 not true. Pierce was an alcoholic. Maybe the only alcoholic president

[@USA50_]

America needs more 1 term Presidents since many people who want to run for the oval office are often dissuaded by all the drama of "mandates & being on the right side of history".

[@JK-gu3tl]

Worked for Mexico.

[@spilledsalt]

Ms. Woodhead seems like the most lovely person in the world

[@whocraft3614]

I argue James Buchanon, Pierce's successor, should rank lower. He repeated Pierce's biggest mistake. Buchanon did not take the temperature of the nation very well. After Pierce left office, it was pretty clear the United States would have a Civil War. Buchanon believed he could still save the day with compromises. Fighting slavery at every turn didn't seem to be an option for Buchanon. Had he fought slavery at every turn, he'd have a better reputation.

[@marcusvachon845]

A distant cousin of Pierce was Barbara Bush, born Barbara Pierce. The late mother of George Bush.

[@kellyi.4353]

Pierce was pro-slavery (PRO ENSLAVING AND SELLING AND OWNING HUMAN BEINGS IN THE UNITED STATES)....."but he wasn't a terrible, awful person". Got it.

[@roberthenry9319]

It is curious that what appears to be the contemporary newspaper clipping of Pierce;s death states that he was "the twelth (12th) President of the United States". Pierce was the 14th president. Zachary Taylor was the 12th.

[@danthemankhan]

They didn't count the VPs that took office after the death of the President. In those days they viewed them as "acting President".

[@derrick1916-i7d]

He's a pretty interesting guy to learn about. The man himself was one of the most outgoing, charming, and friendly presidents we've had. Very upbeat. Those depressing tragedies around him though.... He was big on the constitution, and judging policies and decisions on We The People. He cared about giving people the right to choose in their own best interest, and to not have big government baring down on them. He cared. New Hampshires favorite son. Awesome guy but at the wrong time. I got to see his birthplace and grave last Spring. He deserves some love; the Pierce Brigade is doing some of Gods work.

[@kellygrant3074]

Jefferson and Jackson were also handsome men. As was Grant, in my humble opinion.

[@applescruff1969]

He may have been a terrible president, but he definitely wins the "Hottest President" award. Lol.

[@newaddress456]

Both Truman and Kennedey said Pierce was the best-looking president.

[@ginadoyle4089]

They weren’t around for Obama

[@MeganKoumori]

"Young and fierce was Franklin Pierce, the man without a chin..."

[@JasonParmenter]

I have stopped judging most Presidents for actions "leading to the Civil War", the South was adamant in fighting for slavery, they would have forced a civil war over it regardless is my belief.

[@danthemankhan]

Perhaps. But Presidents could have taken steps to hamstring the south's ability to wage war, which Pierce and Buchanan did not chuse to do.

[@miahconnell23]

4th grade NH mandatory “learn about your state” happened. Mrs. Peters was from the deep south (Mississippi). She was new to our school, and she was new to New England. (I don’t know why: it’s probably our snow-y & icy with winters, but our small northern New England towns & cities hardly ever get new people coming to live here by choice.) When it came time in our state curriculum to cover NH-specific material, Mrs. Peters said: “He was not great president.” And then totally left it at that.

[@lgarcia67]

He was bad but “he wasn’t a terrible, awful person…” I guess that distinction would come later to a different, more contemporaneous president

[@atlasking6110]

Easy on Biden there, he's very old.

[@richardthomas598]

​@@atlasking6110See, that says more about your insecurities than anything else.

[@integral]

#MAGAwhining ​@@atlasking6110

[@johnnyexplains]

I taught US history for many years. I always said of Pierce (I think), what complicated life for him, and as president was the loss of their son. I don’t know that he was focused on running the country after that. Paired with alcoholism could not have helped either.

[@ZacSaleski]

Definitely not one of the worst. That award goes to Woodrow Wilson/James Buchanan

[@radman6047]

Wilson and his federal reserve.

[@ZacSaleski]

@@radman6047 glad you get it! :)

[@andrewvelonis5940]

Warren G. Harding was no gem.

[@spacix4118]

@Bucket Boy I think Johnson was the worst. Halting Reconstruction set back Civil rights decades while also alienating the country.

[@Red-xg2ym]

Buchanan is the worst, than Andrew Johnson, THEN Woodrow Wilson.

[@Mottleydude1]

I’ve always felt compassion for Franklin Pierce. Watching his own son being decapitated in a Railroad accident on the way to his inauguration had an obvious profound impact on him that unfitted him for public office.

[@DIGITAL7Media]

Damn. That hurt to read. I agree.

[@aioniansage6081]

Franklin Pierce is looking pretty good in the year 2022.

[@TexasTimeLord]

Pres Biden : Hold my beer!

[@MeetThaNewDealer]

Where my man Donald Trump. He's the number one contender.

[@susansuewwilliams]

Number one worse, yes.

[@LoganMk54]

@@susansuewwilliams best

[@l.c.125]

@JL, 👏 💯 ! !

[@Santillomom2]

Oh this is the funniest thing I've seen all day 😂😂😂

[@ronstallworth9421]

Lol. So true…

[@phalynwilliams4119]

President Pierce sounds like he was jealous of President Lincoln. Lincoln is one of our best presidents. Pierce still holds his reputation as one of our presidents.

[@wp5224]

Pierce’s tragic family life is rarely mentioned. His children had died and his wife never fully recovered. I think that had to have an impact on his years in office. I also think the Civil War was inevitable due to the militancy of most slaveholding states, making compromise impossible if slavery was to be eradicated.

[@kcbh24]

I didn't know he and his wife lost their children. They always mention what happened to Abraham and Mary, but never Franklin.

[@notwali6617]

@@kcbh24 his only remaining son was decapitated Infront of him on a train accident while he and his family were going to their home in concord new Hampshire

[@57highland]

​@@notwali6617There were many railway mishaps in the early years of train travel, with many people killed.

[@waldolydecker8118]

@@kcbh24 - The information on Pierce's family has been available to you in newspapers, magazines, books, documentaries, etc, etc ever since Pierce was alive. Not "They's" fault that you don't read, study, or do research on your own. "They" always mention Lincoln because he and FDR are widely recognized by Presidential scholars as our greatest Presidents; Pierce is at the bottom of those lists, so only natural you would hear less about him. The NY Yankees have 27 Championships...you will always hear more about the Yankees than the Colorado Rockies, who have zero championships. Quit the irrational whining.

[@toryficarola]

To be fair, I think Franklin Pierce & Andrew Johnson get criticized too harshly, while James Buchanan gets a more appropriate bashing across the board.

[@ginogina4589]

He also further defined federal government limitations, keeping the feds out of any role in welfare, including mental health.

[@Revelwoodie]

"Honey? Are you coming to bed?" "Sorry I'm watching a video on Franklin Pierce"

[@rogerblankenship3235]

JFK said no one should judge any president until he’s tried served as president. Anyone deserves more than a treatment like this

[@yourbigheadcousin5434]

I wouldve guessed Buchanan wouldve been considered the worst.

[@ChiSportsNut18]

He is. This video says that Pierce was ONE of the worst.

[@juliegogo2941]

It was the Whig party that split. Northern whigs plus Other parties northern farmers businessman etc became the dawning of the real republican party antislavery party. Not to be confused with today's republican party. Post 1960s civil rights bill the states rights democrates thurman party segrationalist flipped flooding the republican party.. hence the change.

[@lewstone5430]

Absolutely correct. As a former South Carolinian (Thurmond was once my senator) I’m glad to see someone writing the truth for once on YT.

[@michaelroberts7770]

Horsecrap on the party's flipped scam..... Without the Republicans the Civil right billed would have failed... Did not Democrat Robert Byrd filibuster that law? Biden's buddy and hero to the Party.. The man they carried onto the Senate floor to sign Obamacre? Gimmie a break...

[@juliegogo2941]

@@michaelroberts7770 The problem is .... many did not approve of civil rights. We had many segrationalist even Bush Sr. Orginal political platform was segregation. Peoples raised in it don't know any different. The sentiments are still....... A lot like to manipulate the many definitions of conservative. I'd have to go in to look at every vote. Higher level Schools document it as states rights democrats shifting to the republican part post civil rights. Places like Oregon I suspect missed the movement or shift. They omitted everyone who wasn't white under the guise that the native Americans will have a uprising. With like everything... like the nonratification of the impeachment process a few voted to impeach on the republican side, moderates. Extremist now. Women in the most recent historically were moderate too in all parties. It is only recent this last year...that I have seen women beating war drums. So.... I'd have to go in and look at all the votes. You must remember you are only looking at politicians not CONSTITUENTS. Thanks

[@matthewgliatto7339]

0:05 Stop it right there - why is Ronald Reagan on your collage of “our greatest leaders”? It really makes me angry that we’re still pretending Reagan was great. That is not the truth. Ronald Reagan ruined EVERYthing! Even Franklin Pierce was a better president than Reagan! I won’t waste your time by spelling out all of Reagan’s innumerable bad decisions, but I’ll let you go learn them for yourself. The point is, my generation will not tolerate anybody’s veneration of Ronald Reagan, because my generation is the one that has to live our whole lives under the unjust, rigged, broken system that *he* created.

[@jzotto7971]

He tried his best to keep us together. Slavery was a divisive issue. Many Northerners benefited form the cotton trade. I am sure Congress had a say in the Compromise.

[@colonelyungblonsk7730]

millard fillmore put the key into ignition, franklin pierce drove it towards the cliff, James Buchanan drove it off the cliff

[@Chris-is6xb]

Proof once again that good looks and a sparkling personality do not (necessarily) equate with competency. Works the other way as well. Just because people aren't skilled public speakers (or spellers) doesn't equate them with ignorance.

[@kcbh24]

Necessarily and competency.

[@donchonealyotheoneal5456]

Isn't that crazy because if he wouldn't have gone through all the darkness that he did he might have not brought the darkness that changed our country but because he was so anti-humanitarian he brought on the Civil War that finally Consolidated the states Hallelujah

[@jeanbaptistevallee4500]

Joe is number 1!

[@1972glm]

5:43, oh hey the draft. Didn't know those steps were Pierce's. I mean, he buried a 5 minute drive up the way, but besides being a frequent namesake and his hisotric house, don't really think of him much beyond that.

[@smiller4659]

"He wasn't a terrible, awful person." I see what you did there.

[@josephtemple1667]

Had his son not died months before his inauguration, who knows if things would have turned out differently? A major problem for Pierce was the selection of Jefferson Davis as war secretary. Davis was known to be overbearing and a fierce debater -- someone who could easily steamroll over a president whose head wasn't in the right place. Plus I've read that the Senate committee chairman on foreign relations threatened to block all of his foreign policy accomplishments (opening of Japan, the Gadsden treaty, etc..) if he didn't endorse the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Plus there was the argument that with the Compromise of 1850, which allowed popular sovereignty in the New Mexico and Utah territories, the Missouri Compromise had already been torn up. The K-N act was simply a logical continuation of legislation that had already passed under the Filmore administration.

[@stanleycoleman]

Title: “Judging the Franklin Pierce presidency, one of the worst” Trump: “hold my mcrib!”

[@91dodgespiritrt]

Thanks for the lunatic deranged democrap jew response, loser.

[@jakehumphrey1366]

“F. Pierce” - even his shirt hated him…

[@aperson22222]

He was awful, significantly worse than Buchanan in my opinion: Buchanan utterly failed to address the sectional crisis, but it was a crisis that was already under way when he took office. Pierce largely exacerbated it to the point that it overwhelmed Buchanan. I would say that only trump was worse than Pierce.

[@roberthenry9319]

Yes. At least Pierce was somewhat ofan honorable man. There is no honor whatsoever with Trump. None.

[@Joemama-wz3je]

I don’t understand he literally supported slavery and is a better person than trump.. and that doesn’t make trump good either.

[@aperson22222]

@@Joemama-wz3je Not a better person (I make no judgment on that one way or the other) but a better president. Or at least a less bad one. If only because he left office with dignity.

[@Michael-ut6mu]

Too much competition for the worst list!

[@bigm8785]

Pierce doesn't hold a candle to Biden when it comes to worst president ever. Not even close

[@christophergraves6725]

By the way, there is no such a thing as a Federal Holiday called "Presidents' Day." It is and always has been George Washington's birthday that is celebrated on third Monday in February to create a three day weekend. His actual birthday is February 22.

[@Skank_and_Gutterboy]

Too bad Hawkeye Pierce's dad didn't think of this when naming his son.

[@robertpolityka8464]

Van Buren lived long enough for 8 successors to take office: Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, and Lincoln. Jimmy Carter saw 7: Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43, Obama, Trump, and Biden.

[@ShaughnTorres]

All of them are one terms while Carter after Presidency had 4 Presidents with full 2 terms

[@matthewhedrichjr.5445]

Lincoln had two terms and both he nd Polk are the only strong presidents while the rest were weak

[@howardmctroy3303]

The death of his son was an omen, for his Presidency and his life.

[@Kingfisher1215]

Hmmmm, I see a parallel here.

[@ChrisOliver4307]

"It's no Scarlett Letter." "Thank God for that."

[@route99]

The Florida Department of Education would like you to know this segment has made some of their less melanated students uncomfortable and in retaliation February 20 will hence forth be known as Perforated Stamp Day! Fair and balanced!

[@michaelshultz1590]

Your assumption reveals your racism.