How Did John C. Calhoun's Impact On Congress

In the middle of March during the year 1782, the great state of South Carolina was blessed with a man named John Caldwell Calhoun. From South Carolina to Connecticut Calhoun was a graduate of the Tapping Reeve Law School after completing his undergrad at Yale. He knew exactly what he wanted and within three years of being accepted to the South Carolina bar he had win his first election into congress in 1810. With many powerful ideas Calhoun had planned to make an incredible impact on this country and the direction it was headed. From the House of Representatives to Vice President he made waves and ruffled feathers to make sure he and his home state had a voice. John C. Calhoun was politician who believed in states rights and the power to secede
from the United States. As a young man in congress Calhoun became a leader of what was known as the “War Hawks”. He and Henry clay believed that the only way we could prosper and move forward as a country was war. They demanded that the United States go to war with Britain to take back our honor and preserve our values. The name John C. Calhoun was famous all across the nation when his committee on foreign affairs called for a declaration of war on Britain. The War of 1812 had begun. With the war coming to an end Calhoun was not pleased with the management of the American army. He made it a mission to strengthen our army so this would not happen in the future. Although Calhoun was not smart to push a young unprepared America into a war he had made a name for himself as a man of action. Calhoun was a strong nationalist. He believed in protective tariffs to build up industry. One of his goals was to create a national bank and to make internal improvements in our country through the creation of canals and ports. During his time in congress Calhoun gained great respect from many other political leaders of the time. As a great public speaker he was able to sway congress to get behind him on his ideas.
Showing congress that he was above all other statesman from the Union landed him the position of Secretary of War under president James Monroe. The job was offered to four men before himself. They turned down the position because of Jeffersonian ideals wanting to reduce the operations and finances in the War department. The department was run so poorly that at the time Calhoun accepted the role there was 46 million dollars in outstanding accounts when, at the time, the government’s budget was no more than 26 million dollars annually. Some saw fixing this department as an impossible task. Now the army that Calhoun so desperately wanted to fix was under his power. Nationalist leader Calhoun was appointed Secretary of War during the “Era of Good Feeling”.
During this time our country had just seen the end of the Napoleonic wars and had a desire for unity among our people. Calhoun spoke of the importance of national unity. He knew that with strong national unity came a strong national power, which was key to the success of a country. One of Calhoun’s most important roles as Secretary of War was being responsible for Indian Affairs. After trying to implement a reformed and modernized system he was met by congress with hostility. After much frustration with congress, political rivalries and ideological differences Calhoun created the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1824. He was the supervisor of the negotiation and ratification of 38 treaties with Indian
tribes. During the election of 1824 approaching John C. Calhoun decided to put his name on the ballot as a candidate for President of the United States. Unfortunately he was not able to win the endorsement of the South Carolina legislature. Instead of running for President Calhoun decided it was in his best interest to run for Vice President. He won the position with ease to make him the right hand man of President John Quincy Adams for the next four years. Although it was not an easy win for Adams.
He was neck and neck with Andrew Jackson neither won an electoral majority. Therefore the vote was thrown in the House of Representatives where each state was given one vote. Clay who was fourth in the general election was not a factor when it came to the house. Though he is a big reason for Adam’s success. Clay carried the states of Ohio, Kentucky, and Missouri giving him the power to sway their vote. Clay instructed these states to vote for Adams giving him a huge advantage. After winning New York Adams had finally defeated Jackson. Adams was greatly appreciative to Clay, and for that he named him Secretary of State. Calhoun and Adams was a questionable pair in office knowing that Calhoun was proudly pro-slavery and Adams was a northern abolitionist.
In the following election it was Andrew Jackson who was the victor.
Calhoun had won the people while in office and returned for his second term as Vice President. Calhoun had supported his bid for the presidency. Jackson and Calhoun were not very similar as people. One is a military hero and the other a rigid intellect. There partnership started off on the wrong foot when Jackson pushed for an increase in the protective tariff. Calhoun strongly opposed this idea. He believed that the protective tariff heavily favored the north and hindered the southern states. Jackson had begun to develop high tariff legislation while Calhoun was still in office under John Quincy
Adams.