John C. Calhoun Facts & Worksheets

• His time at Yale exposed him to Enlightenment philosophy and political thought, which would shape his intellectual development and future political career. After graduating as valedictorian in 1804, Calhoun enrolled in Tapping Reeve Law School to study law.
• In 1811, Calhoun married Floride Bonneau Calhoun, with whom he had ten children. His wife was a member of the Episcopal Church, which they attended together after their marriage. He joined the All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington, D.C., as a founding member in 1821. However, in general, Calhoun kept his religious views to himself and avoided becoming overly religious.

Entry into Politics

• In 1807, Calhoun was elected to the South Carolina state legislature, marking the beginning of his political career. As he gained more recognition for his political skills and persuasive oratory, he was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1810.
• He became known as an ardent nationalist during his time as a lawmaker by endorsing the War of 1812 and backing President James Madison's government.
• One of Calhoun's postwar goals was to consolidate and fortify the War Department. He advocated for the establishment of an effective nation, the construction of 'great permanent roads', and the promotion of local manufacturing.
• He demanded an internal tax structure that would not crumble in the face of a reduction in maritime trade during a war. In addition, he advocated for the establishment of the Second Bank of the United States as a new national bank to revitalise and modernise the economy.
• Calhoun's passion for policies promoting the interests of his nation remained a defining aspect of his career, leading to his appointment as Secretary of War under President James Monroe in 1817. During his tenure, Calhoun prioritised military preparedness and infrastructure development.
• He oversaw the affairs of Indigenous peoples and supported the idea of moving them to reserves in the West in order to maintain their sovereignty. He established the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1824.
• During the First Seminole War, he opposed General Jackson's invasion of Spanish Florida and backed the execution of British soldiers who were suspected of instigating the Seminoles to wage war against the United States.

Vice Presidency

• After securing a definitive electoral win as Vice President in December 1824, Calhoun initially served under President John Quincy Adams. He faced the challenge of navigating the divisive issue of high tariffs during Adams' administration.
• Adams, along with many Northern industrialists, supported high tariffs to protect American industries from foreign competition. This protectionist approach was seen as crucial for the development of domestic manufacturing, especially in the Northern States.
• While Calhoun had previously been an advocate of protective tariffs, his home state of South Carolina, which relied more on agriculture, opposed these high tariffs. This conflict of interest put Calhoun in a challenging position as he tried to navigate the demands of his home state and the administration he served.

The Petticoat Affair contributed to the eventual reshuffling of Jackson's Cabinet, with several members resigning. This reshuffling is sometimes called the 'Cabinet reorganization of 1831'.

• Calhoun's dissatisfaction with Adams' administration reinforced his decision to align with Andrew Jackson, whose views on states' rights and federal overreach more closely resembled his own. 
• This alignment led to Calhoun becoming Vice President under Jackson after the 1828 election, marking him the second Vice President in US history to serve under two different Presidents, with George Clinton being the first.
• During the Jackson administration, Calhoun found himself at the centre of the Petticoat Affair. 
• Jackson's Cabinet was shaken by the scandal involving Peggy Eaton, the wife of Secretary of War John Eaton, who was socially shunned by the wives of other Cabinet members, primarily Calhoun's wife, Floride Bonneau.
• The relationship between Calhoun and Jackson turned sour when the latter fired most of his Cabinet members and sided with Van Buren, who supported the Eatons, in the Petticoat Affair.
• The Calhoun–Jackson rift was also worsened by their differing views on the 1828 tariff, eventually referred to derogatively as the 'Tariff of Abominations' by its Southern critics. 
• This referred to the tariff law that was designed to protect industry in the northern United States. However, it imposed high tariffs on imported goods, particularly raw materials, which were primarily purchased by the Southern states. 
• This resulted in a notable rise in the price of manufactured items, sparking dissatisfaction among the Southern states and triggering widespread opposition to the tariff.
• The tariff created a deep divide between the Northern and Southern states, with the South viewing it as a form of economic oppression. 
• The growing dissent over the tariff within South Carolina ultimately led to the state's Nullification Crisis, where the state declared the tariff null and void within its borders. Calhoun, holding to the principles of states' rights, supported South Carolina's position and vehemently opposed the tariff.
• In response to this legislation, Calhoun retreated to his South Carolina plantation to pen the South Carolina Exposition and Protest, articulating his argument against centralised power and advocating for the doctrine of nullification.
• The Jackson-backed Tariff of 1832 sought to mitigate the conflict by lowering rates, yet the South Carolina Nullification Convention of that same year escalated the situation. 
• The convention nullified both the 1828 and 1832 tariffs and threatened secession should the federal government attempt to enforce these tariffs, a clear expression of state defiance against federal authority.
• In a dramatic turn, Calhoun would resign from the vice presidency in 1832 to fill a vacant Senate seat, taking the place of Senator Robert Y. Hayne, who had resigned to become governor.

The issues and tensions raised during the Tariff of 1828 controversy foreshadowed the economic and political conflicts that would eventually lead to the American Civil War.

Career as Senator and Secretary of State

• Calhoun's tenure in the Senate spanned from 1832 until his death in 1850. Because of his role in the Nullification Crisis, he had little hope of winning the presidency. Even though the Nullifier Party founded the Whig Party after the Compromise Tariff of 1833, he occasionally chose to remain independent.
• In the midst of the Bank War from 1833 to 1834, Calhoun opposed Jackson's withdrawal of federal funds from the Second Bank, accusing him of corruption and financial ignorance. In favour of censuring Jackson's withdrawal of funds, he sided with the Whig senators by casting his vote. He backed the independent Treasury system and worked with Van Buren to regain his national prominence.