John C. Calhoun served as one of the most influential politicians in the United States during the antebellum era, and his shifting political loyalties exemplifies the politics of many Americans which changed as the United States grew increasingly sectional. Who Were the Democratic Presidents of the United States? John C. Calhoun. John C. Calhoun, 16th Secretary of State. Wählen Sie aus erstklassigen Inhalten zum Thema John C Calhoun in höchster Qualität. He became iconic for his role in defending the positions of the South. Abraham Lincoln. Author of. "John C. Calhoun: Significant Facts and Brief Biography." Updates? Rise to Prominence. "John C. Calhoun: Significant Facts and Brief Biography." Omissions? We also hold it as equally unquestionable that the Constitution of the United States is a compact between the people of the several states, constituting free, independent, and sovereign communities; that the government it created was formed and appointed to execute, according to the provisions of the instrument, the powers therein granted as the joint agent of the several states; that all its acts, transcending these powers, are simply and of themselves null and void, and that in case of such infractions, it is the right of the states, in their sovereign capacity, each acting for itself and its citizens, in like manner as they adopted the Constitution to judge thereof in the last resort and to adopt such measures—not inconsistent with the compact—as may be deemed fit to arrest the execution of the act within their respective limits. The Marx of the Master Class. There he functioned as a main lieutenant of Speaker Henry Clay, and, in his capacity as chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, he introduced the declaration of war against Britain in June 1812. März 1782 in Calhoun Mills bei Abbeville, Abbeville County, South Carolina; † 31. It was taken down in a unanimous vote by Charleston city council. He gained admission to the South Carolina bar in 1807 and practiced law in his native Abbeville. His efforts were in vain, however, and his exuberant defense of slavery as a “positive good” aroused strong anti-Southern feeling in the free states. He vigorously sought the office three times. His banishment by Jackson was, however, mainly a matter of bad luck. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Henry Clay and Daniel Webster would die within a few years, marking the end of a distinct period in the history of the U.S. Senate. The crisis threatened to split the union, as South Carolina, decades before the secession crisis that triggered the Civil War, threatened to leave the Union. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. But he eventually returned to his studies, earning a degree from Yale College in 1804. “I was a candidate for reelection (as vice president) on a ticket with General Jackson himself,” he wrote later, “with a certain prospect of the triumphant success of the ticket, and a fair prospect of the highest office to which an American citizen can aspire.” But Calhoun joined his wife and the wives of other cabinet members in a social boycott of Peggy Eaton, the wife of the secretary of war, for her alleged adultery. Theodore R. Marmor: The career of John C. Calhoun. Be it good or bad, it has grown up with our society and institutions and is so interwoven with them that to destroy it would be to destroy us as a people. John Calhoun was the son of Scots-Irish American immigrant Patrick Calhoun. To Calhoun’s chagrin, a majority of the Southern states formally and vehemently rejected his doctrine of nullification. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Freedom Liberty Preserve. I appeal to facts. Biography of Daniel Webster, American Statesman, Pictures and Trivia About the Presidents of the United States, Nullification Crisis of 1832: Precursor to Civil War, John Tyler: Significant Facts and Brief Biography, Force Bill: An Early Battle of Federal vs. States’ Rights, History and Events of the Presidential Inauguration, The Most Important Inventions of the Industrial Revolution, North American 19th-century Black activists. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-C-Calhoun, United States Senate - Biography of John C. Calhoun, Clemson University - Biography of John C. Calhoun, Architect of the Capitol - Biography of John Caldwell Calhoun, John C. Calhoun - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), John C. Calhoun - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), vice president of the United States of America. https://www.thoughtco.com/john-c-calhoun-biography-1773519 (accessed March 13, 2021). Jackson grew estranged from Calhoun, and the two men could not get along. View the list It is harder to preserve than to obtain liberty. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/john-c-calhoun-biography-1773519. To maintain the existing relations between the two races inhabiting that section of the Union is indispensable to the peace and happiness of both. He argued that farmers from the North could move to the West and bring along their possessions, which might include farm equipment or oxen. W. W. Norton, New York 1994, ISBN 0-393-03476-3. After studying law at the Tapping Reeve Law School in Litchfield, Connecticut, Calhoun was admitted to the South Carolina bar in 1807. John Caldwell Calhoun (* 18. One was a political theory that the rights of a minority section—in particular, the South—needed special protecting in the federal union. This, with the rapid increase of numbers, is conclusive proof of the general happiness of the race, in spite of all the exaggerated tales to the contrary. When I toured the South Carolina Governor’s Mansion in 2019, I noticed the multivolume papers of John C. Calhoun on display. In the election of 1828, Calhoun ran for vice president on the ticket with Andrew Jackson, and he was again elected to the office. Bildnis Calhouns von 1834. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Richard Hofstadter: John C. Calhoun. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. John Calhoun, if you secede from my nation I will secede your head from the rest of your body. In January 1811, Calhoun marri… In 1843 he served as secretary of state in the final year of the administration of John Tyler. Top 10 John C. Calhoun Quotes. März 1850 in Washington D. C.) war der 7. In the Senate he attacked the North American 19th-century Black activists in the 1830s, and by the 1840s he was a constant defender of the institution of enslavement. James Monroe appointed Calhoun secretary of war, and his distinguished performance in that post, as well as his previous legislative prominence, led his friend John Quincy Adams, then secretary of state, to declare that his Carolina colleague “is above all sectional and factious prejudices more than any other statesman of this Union with whom I have ever acted.”, Calhoun won rapid recognition for his parliamentary skill as one of the leaders of the Republican Party (the old Democratic-Republican Party; later the Democratic Party), yet his eagerness for personal advancement, his glib exuberance in debate, and his egotism aroused an undercurrent of distrust. Early Political career: Calhoun entered public service when he was elected to the South Carolina legislature in 1808. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. Richard Hofstadter: John C. Calhoun. Andrew Jackson, said to John C. Calhoun, in reference to his proposed secession of South Carolina from the United States during the Nullification Affair; This quotation is fraudulent. At times Calhoun praised enslavement as a "positive good.". John Niven: John C. Calhoun and the prize of union. John C. Calhoun of South Carolina first entered politics in 1808 when he was elected to the state legislature. No one did more to make Jackson president than Calhoun, and his prospects in 1828 were most promising. It was an unusual circumstance as Calhoun had not been running for the office. Calhoun was elected vice president in 1824 under John Quincy Adams and was reelected in 1828 under Andrew Jackson. Calhoun was known to present formidable defenses of enslavement which were particularly fitted to the era of westward expansion. In: Derselbe: The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made it. Besides their quirky personalities, they came to an inevitable conflict as Jackson believed in a strong Union and Calhoun believed the rights of states should supersede the central government. März 1782 in Calhoun Mills bei Abbeville, Abbeville County, South Carolina; † 31. He entered Yale College in 1802 and graduated two years later. The Calhoun Institute dedicated to the purpose of enhancing scholarship, education and critical thinking related to matters of first principles, right-reason and good government. ISBN 0-8240-5138-6. In the disputed election of 1824, which was decided in the House of Representatives, Calhoun was elected vice president to president John Quincy Adams. Such we hold to be the right of the states in reference to an unconstitutional act of the government; nor do we deem their duty to exercise it on proper occasions less certain and imperative than the right itself is clear. "John C. Calhoun", by Irving Bartlett The author shows the reader that Calhoun was something of a Tragic Hero. Share on Facebook Tweet it Share on Google+ Share on LinkedIn Pin it Share on Reddit Share on StumbleUpon Email this Print “The confederation has been formed by the free will of the states. Andrew Jackson grew to detest Calhoun for his role in promoting nullification. Calhoun thereby had the unusual distinction of serving as vice president to two different presidents. Calhoun resigned from the vice presidency in 1832 and was elected to the U.S. Senate, representing South Carolina. In the 1830s Calhoun became as extreme in his devotion to strict construction of the United States Constitution as he had earlier been in his support of nationalism. John C. Calhoun quotes. John C. Calhoun, in full John Caldwell Calhoun, (born March 18, 1782, Abbeville district, South Carolina, U.S.—died March 31, 1850, Washington, D.C.), American political leader who was a congressman, the secretary of war, the seventh vice president (1825–32), a senator, and the secretary of state of the United States. In the spring of 2016 the administration of Yale announced that Calhoun College would retain its name. He continued his education at Litchfield Law School in Connecticut. Typical of Calhoun’s defense of slavery were remarks he delivered in February 1837 (excerpted here): We of the South will not, cannot surrender our institutions. To a degree not exceeded by that of any of his contemporaries, Calhoun was consumed by a burning passion to achieve the presidency. John C. Calhoun (1782–1850), US-amerikanischer Politiker, Vizepräsident der Vereinigten Staaten Joseph Calhoun (1750–1817), US-amerikanischer Politiker Lee Calhoun … It struck me as remarkable that Calhoun’s ideas would be featured so prominently given his vigorous defense of slavery and his role in laying the groundwork for the Civil War. Irving H. Bartlett: John C. Calhoun. Calhoun was at the center of the Nullification Crisis, served in the cabinet of Andrew Jackson, and was a senator representing South Carolina. He began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent of a strong national government and protective tariffs. John C. Calhoun, the South’s recognized intellectual and political leader from the 1820s until his death in 1850, devoted much of his remarkable intellectual energy to defending slavery. The Great Triumvirate: Calhoun, Webster, and Clay. Emeritus Professor of History, Tulane University, New Orleans. Theodore R. Marmor: The career of John C. Calhoun. John C. Calhoun. In 1810 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Zur Navigation springen Zur Suche springen. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Marx of the Master Class. Late in 1832 Calhoun resigned the vice presidency, was elected to the Senate, and vainly debated Daniel Webster in defense of his cherished doctrine of nullification. Calhoun was born in Abbeville County, South Carolina to a prosperous farming family. (2021, February 16). John C. Calhoun, in full John Caldwell Calhoun, (born March 18, 1782, Abbeville district, South Carolina, U.S.—died March 31, 1850, Washington, D.C.), American political leader who was a congressman, the secretary of war, the seventh vice president (1825–32), a senator, and the secretary of state of the United States.He championed states’ rights and slavery and was a symbol of the Old South. He died in 1850 before the passage of the Compromise of 1850, and was the first of the Great Triumvirate to die. He developed a two-point defense. Calhoun, while serving as America's top diplomat, at one point wrote a controversial letter to a British ambassador in which he defended enslavement. Calhoun war einer der stärksten Befürworter der Sklaverei in den Vereinigten Staaten. Er war von 1825 bis 1832 der siebte Vizepräsident der Vereinigten Staaten unter den Präsidenten John Quincy Adams und Andrew Jackson, langjähriger US-Senator sowie Außenminister im Kabinett von Präsident John Tyler.