The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents
A House Divided 1849-1865
TV-14
S1 • E3 Jan 15, 2013America by the mid-1800s was triple its original size thanks to bold and controversial decisions by Presidents such as Jefferson, Jackson, and Polk. But with new territory came old confrontations. Slavery--the question that had been avoided since the country's birth--now had to be answered. Some leaders pinned their hopes on compromise, until one used the Presidency to defend freedom and the Union--at any cost.
