--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 1856...I preferred the success of a…" description: "\"In 1856...I preferred the success of a candidate whose election would prevent or postpone secession, to seeing the country plunged into a war the end o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/ulysses-s-grant-1793_candidates_in-1856-i-preferred-the-success-of-a-can_1211753.jpg" --- # In 1856...I preferred the success of a candidate whose… ![“In 1856...I preferred the success of a candidate whose election would prevent or postpone secession, to seeing the country plunged into a war the end of which no man could foretell. With a Democrat elected by the unanimous vote of the Slave States, there could be no pretext for secession for four…” quote by Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/ulysses-s-grant-1793_candidates_in-1856-i-preferred-the-success-of-a-can_1211753.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/ulysses-s-grant-1793_candidates_in-1856-i-preferred-the-success-of-a-can_1211753.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/ulysses-s-grant-1793_candidates_in-1856-i-preferred-the-success-of-a-can_1211753.jpg) > “In 1856...I preferred the success of a candidate whose election would prevent or postpone secession, to seeing the country plunged into a war the end of which no man could foretell. With a Democrat elected by the unanimous vote of the Slave States, there could be no pretext for secession for four years… I therefore voted for James Buchanan as President.” [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grant chose Buchanan to avoid immediate secession, prioritizing short‑term national unity over long‑term political alignment. **In simple terms:** He voted for a candidate to keep the Union together temporarily. Key Takeaway Consider short‑term stability vs. long‑term values. Themes politics union leadership Mood anxious reflective Type historical political When to use this quote - election decisions - policy planning - national crisis management Key Concepts secession electoral strategy civil war Questions to Reflect On - What risks arise when leaders prioritize immediate unity over deeper issues? - How might different choices have altered the Civil War’s timeline? A Different Perspective Short‑term peace may delay inevitable conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Candidates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candidates/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Democrat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrat/) [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Four years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four-years/) [James Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/james-buchanan-226162/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Postpone Secession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/postpone-secession-3676286/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Pretext](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretext/) [Pretext Secession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretext-secession-3676287/) [Secession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secession/) [Secession Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secession-years-3676285/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [ “\[James M. Buchanan\] directed hostility toward college students, public employees, recipients of any kind of government assistance, and liberal intellectuals. His intellectual lineage went… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-maclean/james-m-buchanan-directed-hostility-toward-college-students-public/) [Nancy MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-maclean/) > [A past President, bullied and sandbagged by a monkey posing as a newscaster, finally lashed back…The nation's marketplace of ideas is being poisoned by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-olbermann/a-past-president-bullied-and-sandbagged-by-a-monkey-posing-as-a/) [Keith Olbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-olbermann/) > [“While these tax cuts starved the government, George Mason also belittled its role philosophically. A star on its faculty was James Buchanan, the founder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/while-these-tax-cuts-starved-the-government-george-mason-also/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“James Buchanan's niece: "He often worked just for work's sake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chadwick/james-buchanan-s-niece-he-often-worked-just-for-work-s-sake/) [Bruce Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chadwick/) > [My favorite forgotten President in American history is James Buchanan, who in defending really robust and sharp-elbowed debates said, "I like the noise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sharlet/my-favorite-forgotten-president-in-american-history-is-james-buchanan/) [Jeff Sharlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sharlet/) > [The idea that 'if you don't like how things are going, you can just leave' is so ingrained in Texas, the secession movement is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/the-idea-that-if-you-don-t-like-how-things-are-going-you-can-just/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [What happened in Pakistan was that people were told: You're all Muslim, so now you're a country. 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