John C. Calhoun from South Carolina was a leading politician in the first part of the 19th Century. He promoted state's rights and set a precedent by calling for nullification, in which states could set aside and ignore and declare null and void federal laws that the states in question had deemed were unconstitutional.
He was a figure that many in the South looked up to and even though he died ten years before the start of the Civil War, his stances and rhetoric were often repeated by other Southern politicians leading up to the conflict.
From the beginning of his long career in politics, Calhoun was known as a man who was not afraid to send the country into a war with other nations. He was influential throughout the 1812 war, as being a War Hawk who wanted the war to help preserve American integrity and rights.
During the war, Calhoun served as head of the powerful Committee of Foreign Affairs and in his duties in this job he raised funds for troops, and tried to improve logistics to help better the performance of the American army.
He was frequently stymied in his efforts and after the war was over, he pioneered several new ways to improve performance in future wars the United States was involved in.
Calhoun in the running to become US President in the 1824 election, but wound up being Vice President after landslide victories by his rival. He ended up serving a total of eight years under first John Quincy Adams, followed by Andrew Jackson.
Calhoun died in March of 1850 of tuberculosis and was laid to rest in his home state of South Carolina. He is still remembered to this day as one of the most influential politicians of his time.
He was a figure that many in the South looked up to and even though he died ten years before the start of the Civil War, his stances and rhetoric were often repeated by other Southern politicians leading up to the conflict.
- John C. Calhoun
From the beginning of his long career in politics, Calhoun was known as a man who was not afraid to send the country into a war with other nations. He was influential throughout the 1812 war, as being a War Hawk who wanted the war to help preserve American integrity and rights.
During the war, Calhoun served as head of the powerful Committee of Foreign Affairs and in his duties in this job he raised funds for troops, and tried to improve logistics to help better the performance of the American army.
He was frequently stymied in his efforts and after the war was over, he pioneered several new ways to improve performance in future wars the United States was involved in.
Calhoun in the running to become US President in the 1824 election, but wound up being Vice President after landslide victories by his rival. He ended up serving a total of eight years under first John Quincy Adams, followed by Andrew Jackson.
Calhoun died in March of 1850 of tuberculosis and was laid to rest in his home state of South Carolina. He is still remembered to this day as one of the most influential politicians of his time.
