John C. Calhoun (1782-1850) was an American lawyer and statesman, one of the key political figures of the Antebellum Era. Initially a nationalist, Calhoun spent his early career trying to strengthen and modernize the federal government, but by the 1830s, he had become a strong advocate for states' rights and slavery, leading South Carolina into the Nullification Crisis (1832-33). Calhoun served as vice president under two different presidents and spent decades in Congress, where he became recognized as part of the 'Great Triumvirate' of influential US congressmen alongside Henry Clay (1777-1852) and Daniel Webster (1782-1852). He played a major role in uniting the American South behind the institution of slavery – which he referred to as the 'peculiar institution' – in the decades prior to the American Civil War (1861-1865).
More about: John C. CalhounDefinition
Timeline
-
1 Jun 1812President Madison asks Congress for a declaration of war against the United Kingdom which is granted 17 days later.
-
5 Mar 1820Congress approves the Missouri Compromise, setting the boundary between 'free' and 'slave' states at the 36°30′ parallel (except Missouri).
-
4 Mar 1825After an unprecedented five-way presidential race, John Quincy Adams is inaugurated as president; Clay is chosen as his secretary of state, leading to accusations of a 'corrupt bargain'.
-
1829 - 1831The Petticoat affair, a political scandal involving Peggy Eaton, wife of the US secretary of war, dominates the first years of Andrew Jackson's presidency.
-
29 Dec 1845Texas joins the US as the 28th state.
-
25 Apr 1846The Thornton Affair; a detachment of 70 US dragoons are attacked by Mexican cavalry. The Mexican-American War begins.
-
2 Feb 1848The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ending the Mexican-American War.
-
Sep 1850The Compromise of 1850 admits California as a 'free state' and establishes popular sovereignty in the other territories of the Mexican Cession.
