John C. Calhoun (1782-1850) was a Congressman, Vice President, and Senator famous for his aggressive defense of states’ rights and slavery. Born and raised in South Carolina, the young Calhoun devoted much of his time to study and debate. After working as a lawyer, he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he consistently supported national unity and federal supremacy. He was then elected Vice President in the Adams Administration in 1824 and again under Andrew Jackson in 1828, in which period Calhoun came to reverse those views. Calhoun became one of the most extreme voices in favor of states’ rights by the time he joined the Senate in 1832. Most famously, he argued that South Carolina had the authority to nullify federal tariffs if it deemed them unconstitutional. Most constitutional interpreters, including James Madison who authored much of the Constitution, rejected the theory. Calhoun became a less prominent Senator later in his career, though he advocated for states’ rights and the expansion of slavery to the end of his life. His theories of states’ rights would remain influential doctrines in the South, ultimately finding their fulfillment in Southern secession in 1861.
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