Pierce had and egalitarian mindset which was a reflection of the popular sentiment of his time. He was elected during a period of relative calm in the nation and endeavored to maintain the status quo by allowing slavery to continue in the south. However, the underlying turbulence surrounding slavery between the northern and southern states, together with the renewal of the Kansas-Nebraska Act which repealed the Missouri Compromise (which balanced the number of free and slave states as they entered the union) drew him into a political firestorm from which he was never able to recover.
Despite Pierce’s lack of historical recognition, it is in large measure due to his efforts that the States of Arizona and New Mexico became proud members of our union. Forty-two years later, these same two states provided most of the soldiers who fought in the Spanish-American War. Whereas John McCain, Linda Ronstadt, Barry Goldwater, and Frank Luke Jr., can all boast of having come from Arizona, New Mexico brought us Senator Peter Domenici, animator William Hanna, hotel mogul Conrad Hilton, and Demi Moore, amongst others.
Slavery, however, as in Pierce's time, still exists in the world today. Although the issue of the legality of slavery has been well settled, the reality is that we have yet to conquer this abhorrent practice, both nationally and globally.
As far as President Pierce’s egalitarian tendencies, today’s Democrats tend more to strive for equality of income through redistribution, than for equality of opportunity.
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