Franklin Pierce may have started the Civil War. He was the 14th President of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democrat, he came from a prominent New Hampshire family. He served in the Mexican-American War and was a staunch supporter of the expansion of slavery.
Pierce was a member of the Democratic Party, and he supported its platform of extending slavery into the territories. In 1856, he ran for re-election on a platform of “The Union, It Must Be Preserved.” He was defeated by Republican John C. Fremont.
In 1860, Pierce supported the nomination of Stephen A. Douglas for President. Douglas was defeated by Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln’s election led to the secession of 11 southern states and the start of the Civil War.