A Discourse on the Constitution and Government of the United States John C Calhoun 9781519529176 Books
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John Caldwell Calhoun (March 18, 1782 – March 31, 1850) was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. A powerful intellect, Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist and proponent of protective tariffs; later, he switched to states' rights, limited government, nullification and free trade. He is best known for his intense and original defense of slavery as a positive good, for his promotion of white people's rights, and for pointing the South toward secession from the Union. Although Calhoun’s views are no longer considered popular in contemporary periods, in 1957, the United States Senates honored Calhoun as one of the "five greatest senators of all time."
In A Discourse on the Constitution and Government of the United States, published shortly after his death, Calhoun expounds upon his view of the U.S. Constitution, using it to defend his political theories and positions.
A Discourse on the Constitution and Government of the United States John C Calhoun 9781519529176 Books
I found this work very informative and intriguing, especially in light of Calhoun's Disquisition. Disquisition is the precursor to this work, and deals with abstract notions of government; this work focuses on specific facets of American government. Calhoun's great superiority as a writer lies in his aptitude for making smart distinctions, which he does in both works. But I did not find this work as strong as Disquisition, in large part because some of his reasoning in this work seems forced, and is hidden behind language which is very difficult to parse through (a common strategy among many writers who know their logic isn't smooth).The book's major premise is that the Constitution was designed to prevent some interests from taking control of government and running wild with its prerogatives at the expense of other interests. No doubt this is a fantastic idea, one which deserves deep consideration in light of present trends in government. I did not feel, however, that Calhoun's explanation of the specifics of the matter was as clear or as simple as it could have been. In Disquisition he keeps everything very simple, so this surprised me.
Nevertheless I enjoyed this book, and at fewer than 200 pages it is well worth the read. Could have been better, but still no doubt a great book.
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Tags : A Discourse on the Constitution and Government of the United States [John C. Calhoun] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. John Caldwell Calhoun (March 18, 1782 – March 31, 1850) was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. A powerful intellect,John C. Calhoun,A Discourse on the Constitution and Government of the United States,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1519529171,HISTORY United States Revolutionary Period (1775-1800)
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A Discourse on the Constitution and Government of the United States John C Calhoun 9781519529176 Books Reviews
The Constitution is the Law of the Land. If we do not understand our God Giving Rights under the Cahrter then we have lost our rights. Get the book and any other book that teachess our Charter
I read this book because I just became aware that John C Calhoun is one of the favorite politicians of the Tea Party. Calhoun was the political and intellectual grandfather of secession and the civil war. He was not a Founding Father, as he was only 5 years old when the constitution was signed in 1787. However, he was a student of the constitution and was quite knowledgeable about the debates that went into its creation. There were two factions in opposition during its creation.
There were those who advocated for a smaller, weaker "federal" government, with an emphasis on States' Rights. Most of the representatives from the South were of this school. The other faction wanted a larger, more powerful "national" government. Calhoun goes to great length to distinguish between a federal government versus a national government. Oddly enough, by the 1790s those who favored a national government were called Federalists, and those who advocated for a smaller federal government were called by journalists either Democrats, Republicans, Jeffersonians or combinations thereof.
It is evident from the events of the first 50 years that both factions were looking after moneyed factions. The Federalists held sway in the final draft. But within a year of the ratification, a law was passed that set the country on the path to a bigger, stronger government. Section 25 of the Judicial Act of 1789 established the Supreme Court of the US as the final arbiter of all the courts in the land. This was followed by the Tariff Act of 1828, later called the Tariff of Abominations, which imposed a tariff on manufactured goods. The Federalists never envisioned that this would happen. And according to Calhoun, when the Tariff Act of 1833 was passed, it made it possible for the government to decide what benefits the "common good"; i.e. High tariffs benefited manufacturers, which was for the common good of the entire country. If state courts were subservient or inferior to the US Supreme Court, what was to stop the legislative and executive branches of state government from becoming inferior to their federal equivalent?
Calhoun wrote this essay in 1850, and he was speaking from a point of view that feared majority rule. He stated that he feared that the South had become a "fixed and hopeless minority". He was one of the first politicians to realize that a body like the Senate, with equal representation from all states, a group representing many small states could pass legislation that was opposed by the majority of the population, or block legislation favored by the majority. Only in the House does the will of the majority hold sway. As all legislation must pass both houses, Calhoun felt that a system of the "concurrent majority" would play out. It was a scheme to boost the influence of the minorities. He thought that decisions would be guided by feelings of moderation, forbearance, mutual respect, concession and compromise. This is exactly the opposite of what was happening in the years leading up to the civil war. And Calhoun was one of the leaders in the run-up to war.
He professed a commitment to protecting minority rights, when in fact the only minority rights he was interested in were those of the southern slaveholders. His positions were dictated by a belief in state's rights, nullification, small government, secession, refusal to compromise, and the defense of slavery. By 1850 slavery had been confined to the South, having been banned in the NW Territories, areas of the Louisiana Purchase, and areas of the Oregon Territory. The South felt it was being marginalized and that it was being oppressed by a more wealthy, more populated, and more powerful North. Calhoun saw no solution to this dilemma other than secession. He toyed with the idea of having two presidents, one for each section of the country, but this went nowhere. The office of the President was becoming more powerful, and Calhoun found this disturbing. There was very little room in his philosophy for social change.
I found it interesting that today's Tea Party embraces all of Calhoun's beliefs, except for the support of slavery. They replaced that with vilification of unions, people on "welfare", and public employees. When they look at the demographics of the US and the direction they're moving, they too feel they are being marginalized, just as the South was. To that extent they resemble the Confederacy more so than the patriotic Americans dumping tea into Boston Harbor.
The book goes into great detail on all points I've mentioned. If you're a political and policy wonk you'll probably enjoy it.
I was looking to learn political mind sets mind set predeceeding the civil war. I think he layed out a very strong arguement for his position.
As advertised and on time!
I found this work very informative and intriguing, especially in light of Calhoun's Disquisition. Disquisition is the precursor to this work, and deals with abstract notions of government; this work focuses on specific facets of American government. Calhoun's great superiority as a writer lies in his aptitude for making smart distinctions, which he does in both works. But I did not find this work as strong as Disquisition, in large part because some of his reasoning in this work seems forced, and is hidden behind language which is very difficult to parse through (a common strategy among many writers who know their logic isn't smooth).
The book's major premise is that the Constitution was designed to prevent some interests from taking control of government and running wild with its prerogatives at the expense of other interests. No doubt this is a fantastic idea, one which deserves deep consideration in light of present trends in government. I did not feel, however, that Calhoun's explanation of the specifics of the matter was as clear or as simple as it could have been. In Disquisition he keeps everything very simple, so this surprised me.
Nevertheless I enjoyed this book, and at fewer than 200 pages it is well worth the read. Could have been better, but still no doubt a great book.
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