John C Calhoun's Success

It has been said throughout each generation that history is destined to repeat itself. Now ask yourself, is the history of John C. Calhoun, one of the most influential US leaders, and his beliefs destined to repeat themselves?
Life is not only stranger than fiction, but frequently also more tragic than any tragedy ever conceived by the most fervid imagination. Often in these tragedies of life there is not one drop of blood to make us shudder, nor a single event to compel the tears into the eye. A man endowed with an intellect far above the average, impelled by a high-soaring ambition, untainted by any petty or ignoble passion, and guided by a character of sterling firmness and more than common purity, yet, with fatal illusion, devoting all
During the 1828 presidential election, he was bullied out because of partisan attacks from the other presidential candidates. Ultimately, he decided to run for Vice President against Nathaniel Macon and Nathan Sanford. In 1825, Calhoun was elected as Vice President under John Adams and he held this position for two separate consecutive terms; one under John Adams and then again under Andrew Jackson. During his time in office, Calhoun had always been in support of protectionist tariffs because they benefited the US goods industry. However, the Tariff of 1828, also known as the “Tariff of Abominations” (Schaller et al. 343) by the Southern States, was the tariff that would end his vice presidency. The tariff favored the industries to the north, forcing the South to pay higher prices on imported goods that the US did not produce. It also reduced the number of imported goods from Britain which made it difficult for the British to pay for cotton imported from the South. Calhoun, being from South Carolina, opposed the tariff and even saying “I hold the tariff will place the great geographical interests in hostile array and eventually make two of one nation” (Styron 130). Calhoun’s disapproval with the tariff was explained in his “manifesto” (Holst 76) and was put on paper in the South Carolina Exposition. Although the document was written unanimous, it was still clear who the author was to many. The document spoke of many things but more so on the ability “each state has the right to veto a federal law that which it deems unconstitutional” (Holst 80). This was known as the doctrine of nullifications and how John Calhoun got his nickname as the Great Nullifier. His manifesto warned that if the tariff was approved, South Carolina would succeed from the Union. Because of