John Calhoun on Slavery Essay

The framers had never mentioned “slaves” and “slavery” in the Constitution, and this behavior showed the reluctance of framers to include the slavery in the Constitution. In Article I, Section 2, the Constitution noted: “Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be

Economics was an enormous factor in the support of slavery. The South was dependent of slave labor to run the large plantations that shipped King Cotton, their main product, out to the North as well as abroad. Southerners argued that emancipation would destroy their economy. Furthermore it would hurt the economy of the North which depended on the raw materials from the South for its manufacturing. In addition to slave owners middle and lower class workers often took pro slavery positions because they did now want job competition. Four million new free people would certainly increase job competition and lower wages. In this way it is clear that economically supporters of slavery had a strong case.

Most slave owners or individuals that agreed with slavery thought that Paternalism was a good thing. Paternalism to them was that they were doing to salves a favor, owning them was in the slave’s best interest, but to African American it was a different story. They felt like they had to not only depend on their salve owners, but they had to depend on them for their survival. The slaves fate where depended

One main and obvious reason for the adamant views of anti-slavery and slavery and the ultimate unsuccess of the Missouri Compromise was the diverse circumstances between the Northern and Southern economic systems due to geography and other factors. There was a much larger number of free blacks in the North, showing the varying degree between their economic system compared to the South.(A) The economic well-being of the South, who 's revenue came mainly from farming, was based on the free labor of slaves. John C. Calhoun asserted that the "South will not, cannot, surrender our institutions.....that there never has yet existed a wealthy and civilized society in which one portion of a community did not......live on the labor of the other." The abolition of slavery was viewed by the South as economic suicide. Northerners, who mainly manufactured goods and used the labor of poorly paid immigrants, viewed slavery as morally wrong as well as unnecessary. With the help of free blacks in the North who expressed their experiences as slaves and promoted liberation through propaganda, such views of

The crux of a pro-slavery argument is entrenched in Paternalism. This is the exertion of power over someone in a lower standing, supplemented by the claim that it is in their ‘best interest.’ Often, this is untrue. It is, in fact, stifling those stepped on by the current wielder of power. George Fitzhugh would assert that negroes would not wish to live as free laborers the way the white man does because “he works longer and harder” for what would amount to less than what a slave would get for the same amount of work. The first issue found within this statement is the fact that many slaves received no allowances at all, and labored for no benefit to themselves past the hope of escaping punishment and sale. He also negates the fact that personal freedom and liberty are intrinsic in living a full life. An easy mistake for him to make, seeing as he has never had these rights physically taken from him before, so

Depending upon where you lived, your view on the idea of slavery and preservation of the union varied. Although many people had different outlooks

John C. Calhoun, an influential political leader and a believer of state’s rights, asserted that the termination of slavery should be opposed for the reason that the preservation of the union is a chief goal in any established society. However, he argued that the elimination of slavery would cause chaos in the South for the sole reason of

This quote made a clear point of how Lincoln views slavery and how he wants to end slavery in the United Sates. Also he says that “we must not interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists, because the constitution forbids it, and the general welfare does not require us to do” (Various Lincoln Statements). Lincoln did not want any change that he would make to challenge slavery in the confederate states because it was forbidden by the constitution.

Slavery continued to cause major conflictions throughout the nation, especially between northern and southern states. Northerners and Southerners had two completely different views and insights on the issue of slavery. For most Northerners, they believed that slavery was wrong and it went against what the nation stood for; liberty and all men being created equally. However, there were some northerners who were antislavery and others (very few) were abolitionist. Although both sides opposed slavery, some individuals’ motives were self beneficial and really did not care so much for slavery while others believed in what America stood for and how it implies to everyone. Southerners on the other hand defended slavery, as it was their way of life.

Slavery shaped the values of the antebellum south in many ways. From agriculture and economy, to social stratification and the establishment of societal roles, slavery played an essential part in developing the south as well as dividing it from the north.

Although they fought for the abolition of slavery, the compromise didn’t succeed for long in approving abolition provisions but instead free state provisions. The North and South constantly fought over the matter of slavery. However in 1833, the North gave into South Carolina’s demands. Subsequently, the Tariff Act of 1832, South Carolina passed a statue of nullification which stated that the federal tariff laws were invalid. The state attempted to threaten to resist by force, any federal attempt to enforce the tariff. The president at the time, Andrew Jackson, led the change by introducing a bill that gave presidential authority to use armed forces to carryout laws. Henry Clay helped prepare the compromise which would be more acceptable to the South. The Tariff of 1833 helped prevent South Carolina from seceding from the Union by resisting against the federal government. John C. Calhoun became a partisan of states' rights, believing that each state was autonomous and that any state could declare an act of Congress as unconstitutional. Calhoun, in protest against the 1832 Tariff Act, led South Carolina in an attempt to invalidate the act. Although this crisis was eventually settled through the Compromise of 1833, Calhoun continued to protect slavery. John C. Calhoun was formerly Jackson's vice-president, and later a South Carolina senator. He said the North should grant the South’s demands to maintain piece. He was a representative for the South and states' rights. The South was fighting for more slave territory, and had brilliant ways of earning them. The South was ungrateful to the North for giving into their demands, and exemplified such by seceding in the

On the other hand, Southerners believed that slavery was a necessary evil for the expansion of America. Historian Eric Foner said, “without slavery, you could not have civilization…it freed the upper class from the need to do manual labor...and therefore gave them the time...to devote themselves to the arts and literature.” (Doc. 4a) He was attempting to convince the opposing side that slavery was required to support American culture and progress. Because the North and the South never could agree or even come to a compromise for very long, tensions rose. Even Abraham Lincoln believed that the United States wouldn’t last half free and half slave, as he stated in his famous “House Divided” speech. This foreshadowed a much bigger disagreement over the issue of slavery, the Civil

Henry Clay pleaded for the north and south to reach an agreement, but John Calhoun wanted slavery in the western territories. [Page 464] In my opinion, this began to help settle the dispute about the freedom of the slaves, because the slaves now had to accept they weren’t going to be allowed freedom. This event also set the agreement, that the slaves be returned to the south, at the same time the north could separate peacefully to cause a lessening of this ongoing problem, if they refused to take part in this. I agree with the way this was handled, until the south stated they would use force to leave the union if an agreement could not be reached.

For example, during his time as a Senator, he constructed a gag rule that prevented discussions of slavery. He advocated for the annexation of Texas so the area would be open to slavery, and believed slave owners should be able to take their slaves into free states and still be enslaved to them (“PBS”). Because of the debate over states' rights and slavery, it resulted into the lead of the Civil War. What Calhoun has done created a big impact on the future. His decisions lead to the beginning of the civil war.

When referring to the days of slavery, it is often assumed that the south was the sole force behind its continuance. However there were many factors which lead southerners as well as some in the north to quietly accept slavery as a good thing. John Calhoun declared in 1837 “Many in the South once believed that [slavery] was a moral and political evil…That folly and delusion are gone; we see it now in its true light, and regard it as the most safe and stable basis for free institutions in the world” (p. 345). This statement was justified by various reasons. There was the fundamental belief that Africans were inferior to their white counterparts. Many saw the slave population as a labor force that