Buchanan Campaign Ribbon

Buchanan, James · ca1856

This colorful ribbon endorses James Buchanan in his successful 1856 presidential bid. Because of his decades of service at nearly every level of government, Buchanan was seen as a reliable choice for the Democratic party in the mid-1850s, a time of growing sectional conflict over slavery and the emergence of the radical new Republican and American parties. He was not, however, a particularly exciting figure, and so the colorful ribbon and use of the rooster may have been an effort to add a bit of energy to his dry image. Nonetheless, Buchanan defeated both the Republican candidate John C Fremont and the American Party candidate Millard Fillmore.