Franklin Pierce: The Saddest President

Video Description

Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the United States, is one of the most obscure and forgettable chief executives. Almost no one remembers him or can name a single thing he did while in office (1853-57). In reality the life of Franklin Pierce was an almost unending story of squandered opportunities, alcoholism, political missteps, bad luck and deep personal tragedy. In this, the most in-depth video on YouTube about Pierce, you'll find out why he had all the right stuff to be one of the great presidents, and why it all went so terribly wrong for him. This is a very poignant story that can teach us a lot about the history of America on the brink of the Civil War. Major sources for this video include the books The Presidency of Franklin Pierce by Larry Gara (University of Kansas Press 1991); Franklin Pierce: New Hampshire's Favorite Son and Franklin Pierce: Martyr for the Union by Peter A. Wallner (Plaidswede, 2004-07), and Franklin Pierce by Michael F. Holt (The American Presidents Series, 2010). My website: https://www.seanmunger.com My Ko-fi: https://Ko-fi.com/seanmunger My new blog: https://gardenofmemory.net/ President in the Bathroom (my short story collection which includes a story involving Franklin Pierce, mentioned in the video, available for free): https://www.lulu.com/shop/sean-munger/president-in-the-bathroom/ebook/product-1redg8my.html?page=1&pageSize=4 Chapters: 00:00-07:51: Intro & Road Map 07:51-20:31: Privileged Son 20:31-32:28: The Revolutionary Transition 32:28-44:36: On His Way Up (And Back Down) 44:36-51:17: Six Months in Mexico 51:17-1:06:12: A Bowl of Cherries 1:06:12-1:17:57: Politics as Usual? 1:17:57-1:25:50: The Other Stuff 1:25:50-1:36:05: Everybody Hates Frankie 1:36:05-1:44:32: One Week in May 1:44:32-1:53:43: Hitting Bottom 1:53:43-1:56:48: Conclusion