Buchanan’s Legacy To Lincoln

Buchanan’s Legacy To Lincoln

Join LancasterHistory as we welcome Dr. Louise Stevenson, Professor Emerita at Franklin & Marshall College, to discuss the intersection of the African slave trade, the circulation of Chinese labor, and American foreign policy in the 1850s. James Buchanan is recognized for many things, but few know about his advocacy of humanitarian reform in Cuba before the Civil War. During his presidency, Buchanan’s foreign policy aimed to end the horrors of the human trafficking of African and Chinese peoples to Cuba. To satisfy the sweet tooth of Europeans and Americans, the sugar industry boomed in Cuba, resulting in the increase of labor required to keep meeting demand. Cuban demand for laborers created a lucrative trade of enslaved Africans and forcibly indentured Chinese individuals. Pro-slavery Democrats and Buchanan projected that the brutal human trafficking would end if America annexed Cuba, but slavery would continue in the United States. How do we make sense of Buchanan’s humanitarian concern for Cuba but apathy towards slavery in the United States? Join us for this interesting lecture to learn more!  This program is free and open to the public, however advance registration is required. The online version of this program will be uploaded to the LancasterHistory’s YouTube channel after the event.

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