This month, I’m taking an afternoon most weeks to go on a sort of local mini-adventure–checking things off my “local bucket list” that I always said I’d get around to. Last week’s was the first of 4: a tour of Wheatland—the historic Lancaster home of James Buchanan, our 15th President.
I learned way more than I ever expected to on my visit. Buchanan is mostly remembered as the man who let the country slide into Civil War. But as I wandered through the estate’s preserved rooms and considered the legacy he left behind, I found myself thinking about leadership, passivity, and what happens when we care more about comfort than courage.
Here are some ways he demonstrated how NOT to lead:
1. Leadership without conviction Is dangerous.
Buchanan was a northern Democrat who sympathized with the South—not because of deep principle, but because of his relationships. Most of his closest friends were southern slaveholders, and rather than challenge the evil of slavery, he did what was socially easy. He claimed neutrality but inaction became complicity.
Lesson: You cannot lead well without clarity of conviction. People-pleasing disguised as diplomacy only prolongs injustice. And neutrality in the face of evil is not moral high ground—it’s abdication.
2. Delay does not avoid conflict; it fuels it.
When Southern states began to secede, Buchanan hesitated. He didn’t believe the federal government had the constitutional authority to stop them. But his delay gave space for disunity to grow. By the time Lincoln took office, the damage was done.
Lesson: Hesitation in leadership can create cracks that become chasms. Sometimes the greatest threat isn’t active opposition—it’s passive delay.
3. Leadership isn’t about avoiding blame.
Buchanan spent his post-presidency years insisting none of it was his fault. His final public letters were defensive, blaming others for the war that followed.
Lesson: True leadership takes responsibility, even when things fall apart. Blame is a reflex of fear. But ownership—even of failure—can be redemptive.
4. Passivity is not peacekeeping.
There’s a difference between being a peacekeeper and being a peacemaker. Buchanan believed preserving the union meant doing nothing. But real peace often requires confrontation—especially when truth is at stake.
Lesson: Avoiding conflict isn’t the same as creating peace. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is disrupt the status quo.
Reflection:
As I walked through History Hallway at Wheatland, what struck me wasn’t just the grandeur of the space—it was the contrast between Buchanan’s potential and the legacy he left behind. He did have one leadership strength: he knew how to set the table. His hospitality was legendary, his home a place where dignitaries gathered and decisions were shaped. But rather than using that gift as a platform for subversive justice, he became a gatekeeper—guarding comfort and tradition instead of creating space for truth.
Leadership is not about avoiding conflict or maintaining appearances. It’s about choosing what is right, even when it costs you. The strength Buchanan had—his ability to bring people together—could have been wielded for change. But without conviction, even a gift can become a weapon of delay.
James Buchanan reminds us that the choices we make in moments of tension shape our legacy. Leadership requires courage, clarity, and a willingness to disrupt false peace. Because when history looks back, it won’t just ask what happened.
It’ll ask what you did with the table you were given.
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