(This essay is a reflection upon Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King, by Thomas J. Balcerski.)

Could the American Civil War have been averted if the “bachelor ticket” of Buchanan and King had been nominated and elected? This is the burning question with which Bosom Friends leaves me.

I once argued in a college essay that the ultimate reason for disunion was the nomination and election of Northerners — insensitive not only to Southern “interests,” but to the delicate sectional balance that Southerners were constantly concerned with maintaining — to the Presidency. Continue reading →