John C. Calhoun was a strong supporter of states' rights. The issue of whether or not the federal government had control over the individual states was a hot button topic in his day. One must remember that before the U. S. Constitution, America was a loosely associated confederacy with a weak central government that had little say over most things other than war and defence. Calhoun was loyal to this idea that individual states did not have to oblige the federal government by following Federal Laws.
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Calhoun believed in states rights above all. He espoused the doctrine of nullification which meant that states could nullify or reject Federal Laws they did not want to obey. He also thought states had the right to leave the federal union if they wished.
believed that states had the right to nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional. Calhoun argued that this was necessary to protect states' rights and prevent federal overreach.
Calhoun's nullification theory was that if the federal government refused to permit a state to nullify a federal law, the state had the right to withdraw from the Union.
John C. Calhoun became known as "The Great Nullifier" because of his Civil War doctrine that asserted the right of the states to nullify any federal laws with which they disagreed.
South Carolina Exposition and Protest
John C. Calhoun called on the south to nullify President Andrew Jackson's tariff of 1828. His home state of South Carolina passed legislation to nullify a federal law. President Jackson was empowered by the Force Bill, which gave the President the power to send troops to make sure federal law was obeyed. Jackson sent federal troops to Charleston, and threatened to hang Calhoun. The Compromise of 1833 eased tensions.
John C. Calhoun who was vice-president under both Quincy Adams and Jackson was a strong proponent of the right of states to nullify federal laws.
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President Jackson's commitment to states' rights was challenged during the Nullification Crisis when South Carolina chose to nullify a tariff they believed would not operate in the state's best interest. He threatened to use the military to force the state to comply.
John Calhoun and Andrew Jackson were staunch political foes. The situation was made worse when Calhoun persuaded South Carolina to nullify tariffs set in place by the Jackson administration in 1828 and 1832. Jackson petitioned Congress and won the right to use federal forces to enforce federal law, and anchored wars ships off the Charleston coast.