Why Is John C Calhoun A Good Political

Representative and Senator John C. Calhoun, a Democrat who represented South Carolina’s 6th congressional district, was a good Congressman because he was a skilled orator and helped pass laws that promoted economic and national stability; however, his defense for slavery and support for the unconstitutional act of nullification proved to be dangerous to the Union. After being elected into the House of Representatives in 1810, he pushed for the war against Britain by drafting the war bill which Congress approved in June 1812. During his ardent efforts to assist in the war of 1812, Calhoun realized the need for stronger national defenses and began opposing troop reductions and started advocating for additional military service academies. He also promoted protective tariffs and
He warned that “Mexico is to us the forbidden fruit...the penalty of eating it would be to subject our institutions to political death.” As an avid supporter of slavery and defender of the South, Calhoun argued that the admission of California as a free state and the enforcement of the Wilmot Proviso would result in the increase of the sectional conflict. In his beliefs, slavery was “a positive good,” that would develop a civic-mindedness in the poor whites and make the American Dream attainable. In his speech toward the Compromise of 1850, although he respected the ideas presented by Clay and Webster, he felt that it did not protect the south’s rights. As an effective debater, he proposed that “The North must do justice … and do her duty… relative to fugitive slaves… cease the agitation of the slavery question… and provide for… and amendment which will restore the South… the power she possessed of protecting herself.” Despite his efforts for a conciliatory approach, disunion in the nation