Final answer:
President Buchanan declared that secession was illegal but simultaneously claimed the federal government could not force a state to stay in the Union. His actions during his presidency, especially in relation to the Dred Scott decision, demonstrate his attempts to appease the Southern proslavery faction. He avoided confrontation with the seceding states, leading to increased tensions and eventual formation of the Confederacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
When South Carolina and subsequently six other states seceded from the Union, President James Buchanan took a stance that was conflicting in nature. Although he asserted that the states did not possess the right to secede, claiming that “the Union shall be perpetual,” he simultaneously stated that the federal government did not have the authority to coerce a sovereign state into remaining within the Union. Buchanan's presidency had already been heavily influenced by the divisive issue of slavery, most notably with his administration's support for the Dred Scott decision. The Supreme Court ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford articulated a constitutional protection of slavery and emboldened the proslavery faction. Despite knowing that the majority in Kansas opposed slavery, Buchanan, under pressure from his proslavery advisors, had also previously supported the admission of Kansas as a slave state without a fair vote on the Lecompton Constitution.
These actions, combined with his later inability to directly address the issue of secession, reveal a president who, while denouncing the secession, looked to avoid confrontation that might result in violence or war. Buchanan's ambiguity and his attempt to appease both factions ultimately failed and led to a liminal period where the seceded states formed the Confederate States of America without direct intervention from his administration.