Franklin pierce brief biography sample

Like several of his predecessors, Franklin Pierce found foreign policy a welcome change from the domestic conflicts over slavery.

Unfortunately, his lack of leadership and his tendency to give in to pressure groups hampered his effectiveness in the foreign arena.

Even though the Mexican War had ended, there were border disputes that had to be settled.

Land that now comprises lower Arizona and New Mexico was part of a proposed southern route for a transcontinental railroad. Pierce was convinced by Secretary of War Jefferson Davis to send Senator James Gadsden (who had personal interests in the rail route) to negotiate the Gadsden Purchase with Mexico.

Franklin pierce death

Under the agreement, the U.S. paid Mexico $15 million to secure the land. The Treaty included a provision allowing the U.S. to build a transoceanic canal across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, but this option was never exercised.

The acquisition of land in this purchase secured the final boundaries of t