Federalism and the Civil War essays

Federalism and the Civil War essays John C. Calhoun was a man of very high stature and intelligence. His ideas and thoughts were expressed very sternly and backed up with concrete evidence. Of course not everyone agreed with Calhouns thoughts and procedures. The man knew himself and his ideas would somehow make a difference in the way that Canada and the United States would grow and be governed. At the time in which John was voicing his opinions many different issues were in the hot seat. A major concern was the slavery in 1838. The public was in an outcry over the touchy issue. John, of course, did not hesitate to voice his true thoughts. Other concerns such as the concurrent majority and the rights of the States were among many of Johns concerns. To truly understand the opinions of this man we must first of all look at the reasons for his positions. Slavery was without a dought the biggest issue in the 1830s. There were many, many attempts to stop the use of slaves among our society. To the majority of the population that this was a positive movement and a step in the right direction. To Mr. Calhoun this was not the case. He can be quoted as saying: 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. This idea is very complex and needs to be evaluated carefully. In a different light John has a very good point. No one liked the idea of slavery. It seems morally inadequate and wrong. John believed that it set a pathway for free institution. Resulting form slavery he believes that society learned the basic skills for free institution. In actuality he did not necessarily believe that slavery was a good thing. John simply believed that it brought about a better awareness for our population and it's leaders to grow upon. ...