Mo Rocca travels to Buffalo, N.Y., home of America's 13th president Millard Fillmore, to take a closer look at one of the country's least-remembered commander-in-chiefs.
みつこ L O F I yeah pretty crazy I know. Go far back enough and you will find you can have cousins in very long distances. I’m in America right now and one of mine is a british royal who is the Duke of Bedford.
みつこ L O F I fair enough but it’s not like I’m gonna hunt you down based on your state. I’m PA if that gives any perspective to how far Fillmores ancestors have traveled from Buffalo.
@Brandon C. Buchanan was arguably worse. Not to forget what a tragic life Pierce had. Pierce was pretty much in no state to make proper decisions. It was a difficult time for the country and he turned out to be a weak president. But Buchanan came over and only made things worse..
Millard Fillmore also: - appointed Brigham Young as the first governor of Utah - was called the most handsome man she's ever met by queen Victoria - prevented France (under Napoleon III) from annexing Hawaii
Strange how they don't mention Fillmore sending Commodore Perry to Japan. Most Americans at the time wouldn't have cared about it, but it was one of the more important events in Japanese history.
As a descendent of Perry and being married to a Japanese citizen, let me tell you it's as close to being royalty in Japan as I will ever likely be. Perry's still revered (and was even during WWII), while Fillmore and Pierce (who signed the Treaty of Kanazawa) are completely ignored/forgotten...
When I had an Asian history as a subject when I was a sophomore in high school, the only mention of Millard Fillmore is he was the one responsible for opening up of Japan after 200 years of isolation, by way of Commodore Matthew Perry.
Paul Finkelman's book, while sometimes helpful, is meant to deride Fillmore's role in history through Finkelman's interpretation of events and facts. Previous Fillmore biographers, Robert Rayback and Elbert Smith, are more laudatory.
Paul Finkelman wrote one half-assed book about Fillmore, so he disingenuously gets credited as a Fillmore “historian”. I read that book and some notable portions were factually incorrect, if not greatly exaggerated and BLATANTLY skewed by Fink’s own modern era self-righteous bent. He even said in this interview “I hope I can get his favorability to go down”. Well folks, that’s not history: it’s editorialism at its worst. Since he brought it up, let’s talk about rankings: I read the entire American Presidents book series Fink’s is a part of, and of every other book I’d rate it in the bottom two of the worst, for reasons stated above. Don’t believe me? Check out his book ratings on Amazon.
@@GillianSeed No, Finkelman went out of his way to trash Fillmore, and gave him absolutely no credit for anything that looked like a good policy decision. Contrast his writing with Annette Gordon-Reed's book on Andrew Johnson. He's legitimately among the bottom 3 POTUS', and in spite of that I thought her writing was very balanced and offered additional insight with his background, rather than simply portray him as a villain at every step.
Mo overlooked another Fillmore accomplishment: Fillmore sent my ancestor, Commodore Matthew Perry, to Japan to negotiate what became the Treaty of Kanagawa, which eventually opened Japan to trade with the US and ended the incarceration of shipwrecked US whaling sailors (who washed ashore in Japan and were arrested for violating Japan's exclusion laws). That, however, doesn't make him a good president or even a good man...
d e austin ok... but so was Buchanan....and then there’s Trump. I mean,it’s fine to those who want to look at the glass half full (get it? Half full,Fillmore 😀)...but history tells us that being elected president can be more about branding and advertising than actually having good ideas for moving our country forward. This is just one American woman’s opinion.
Not many people know that the 13 stars of the original Flag of the United States of America is a subtle reference to Millard Fillmore, the 13th president. Great video
I actually feel harrison was the only whig president. Tyler was actually a democrat elected with the whigs, fillmore was a man without a party, and i actually call taylor the first republican president.
How so? I believe neither of Fillmore's kids had children of their own, so is it through a sibling or cousin? Say what you will about him, he was best performing third party candidate in terms of the popular vote besides T.R. He was also one of the healthiest presidents
Would of like a little more respect from Moe Rocca! Filmore did a job few would even try! That fact alone makes him worthy of a bot more respect and a better piece than what was presented by CBS!
alejandro perez He’s not a historian, he’s a comedian. He used to work on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Colbert and Carell so obviously he has comedic timing.
He was the 13th President of the United States. He was the second Vice president to ascend to the office because of the death in office of President Zachary Taylor. He served from July 1850 to March 1853. Also,, both his children died fairly young with no children of their own so he had no direct bloodline of heirs to keep his name spoken in US history.
I might be missing some details, but when she said "the only house in the nation that was built and lived in by a president" I kept thinking of Monticello. Does that not count?
In terms of legislative accomplishments, Fillmore is right up there at the very top. While the Compromise of 1850 hasn't aged well, at the time, it was one of the most important pieces of legislation to pass--legislation that averted a civil war on the Texas-New Mexico boundary that the South would have probably won. With assists from Daniel Webster and Stephen Douglas, Millard Fillmore accomplished what Henry Clay, the great compromiser, was unable to get past the goal line. I'm not saying that Fillmore is one of the best presidents but he certainly isn't one of the worst either. I'd place him somewhere in the middle.
fillmore sent commodore matthew perry (not from friends) to japan with armaments in 1852 to intimidate them into supplying US w silk. Japan was isolationist and had no interest in trade. Our display of military power spooked japan so badly, they entered the Meiji period in direct response to this. 30 years later, japan was fully industrial. you might say that fillmores actions lead to japans industrialization which lead ultimately to pearl harbor.
