First State of the Union Address

In his 'First State of the Union Address,' delivered in 1857, President James Buchanan grapples with the intricacies and challenges besetting the young American nation, specifically centering on the economic turmoil of the time. Buchanan's rhetoric is punctuated by a grave concern for the 'deplorable' state of affairs—a prescient reflection on the economic fabric of a nation on the cusp of civil w...