dec 3, 1860 - Fourth Annual State of the Union Message, in which Buchanan argues that the South has no legal right to secede, yet the government has no legal power to prevent the secession. Calls for an "explanatory amendment" to the Constitution recognizing the "right of property in slaves" and the validity of the fugitive slave act
Added to timeline:
Date:
dec 3, 1860
Now
~ 165 years ago