Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocument1855

Review of President Pierce's 1855 Veto of the French Spoliation Bill

James H. Causten · 1855

An 1855 pamphlet criticizing Franklin Pierce's veto of a bill compensating American citizens for French spoliation claims.

This pamphlet criticizes Pierce's 1855 veto of a bill on French spoliation claims, showing political reaction to his presidency.

Ask Franklin Pierce about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (Internet Archive)

About this source

What it is

This is a short pamphlet, written by James H. Causten in 1855, reviewing and criticizing President Franklin Pierce's veto message of 17 February 1855 on a bill concerning French spoliation claims. It references the arguments of Senator John M. Clayton, who had long championed the claimants.

Why it matters

This pamphlet shows how Pierce's decisions as president provoked public and political debate. It gives insight into the disputes between the executive and legislative branches over compensation for old claims against France, and how critics challenged presidential power.

Look closer

  • Why might Congress and the president disagree over how to handle old financial claims?
  • What does the existence of this pamphlet suggest about how much public debate followed Pierce's veto?
  • How might the author's role as an advocate for claimants shape his criticism of Pierce?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Franklin Pierce on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Franklin Pierce sources

Meet the AI Franklin Pierce →
Handwritten manuscript page of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, headed 'Thirty-third Congress of the United States, First Session, begun and held at the city of Washington, December 1853,' with the title 'An Act to organize the Territories of Nebraska and Kansas' in ornate script.Document

Primary source

Kansas-Nebraska Act

United States Congress · 1854

Speech

Primary source

Inaugural Address of Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce · 4 March 1853

A red-orange 1953 U.S. 3-cent postage stamp with a scalloped border. It shows a map of the southwest labeled 1853 Gadsden Purchase, with Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and a covered wagon pulled by oxen among saguaro cacti.Document

Secondary source

Gadsden Purchase

1853

Black-and-white lithograph cartoon. A giant reclining man's head with his mouth forced open lies on a platform. Small figures pry his jaw open while a Black man is being pushed headfirst into his mouth. A speech balloon reads 'MURDER!!! help-neighbors help, O my poor Wife and Children.' On the right, two men pull a rope tied around the head, labeled Democratic Platform. Labels read Cuba, Kansas, and Central America. Caption below reads 'Forcing Slavery Down the Throat of a Freesoiler.'Painting

Primary source

Forcing Slavery Down the Throat of a Freesoiler

John L. Magee · 1856

Oil portrait of a man with wavy dark hair, wearing a dark coat, white shirt and dark cravat, seated in a red upholstered chair against a dark background, with his hands clasped at the lower left.Painting

Primary source

Franklin Pierce

George Peter Alexander Healy · 1853

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Franklin Pierce now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions