The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of
the Presidents, Volume V, Part 1; Presidents Taylor and Fillmore, by James
D. Richardson

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, Volume
V, Part 1; Presidents Taylor and Fillmore

Author: James D. Richardson

Release Date: February 5, 2004 [eBook #10951]

Language: English

Character set encoding: US-ASCII

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A COMPILATION OF THE MESSAGES AND
PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS, VOLUME V, PART 1; PRESIDENTS TAYLOR AND
FILLMORE***

E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, David Garcia, and the Project
Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team

A COMPILATION OF THE MESSAGES AND PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS,

VOLUME V, PART 1

BY JAMES D. RICHARDSON

A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE STATE OF TENNESSEE

1902

This volume, the fifth of the series, comprises a period of twelve
years. It includes the four years' term of the Taylor-Fillmore
Administration and the full terms of Presidents Pierce and Buchanan.
This brings the history down to March 4, 1861, the beginning of the late
war between the States. These twelve years form an important and
eventful epoch in the affairs of our country, as they immediately
precede the war and cover the official utterances of the Executives
during this period. Some of the more important events and incidents of
these twelve years are the Bulwer-Clayton treaty with Great Britain for
a joint occupancy of the proposed ship canal through Central America;
the compromise measures of 1850; the admission of California, Minnesota,
Oregon, and Kansas as States; the Gadsden purchase, by which the United
States acquired 45,535 square miles of territory, being portions of
Arizona and New Mexico; the Kansas-Nebraska legislation; the famous Dred
Scott decision; the John Brown insurrection, and the disruption of the
Democratic party in the national campaign of 1860.

This volume contains several veto messages which are interesting. By
President Pierce, vetoes of "An act making a grant of public lands to
the several States for the benefit of indigent insane persons;" of six
acts relating to internal im