LAD #11: John Calhoun Speech

It was 1850 when someone had finally realized that the Union was in danger of splitting. This realization came when John C. Calhoun made his famous speech to the Senate. He stated that the argument over slavery could no longer be avoided and it could have ended in disunion. He believed that it was top priority to preserve the union.

Calhoun stated that the disunity was caused by the discontent of the South ever since the argument over slavery had occurred. Another cause for disunity was intense political sides such as the democrats and whigs, which split the nation into two. Another cause of the disunity was the uneven sectional balance in government. New England had been in control of the Government for quite some time and have been prospering from institutions such as the National bank. Yet another cause included the future annexation of five northern States including Maine and Oregon. The South was angry because there were no new southern territories being added to the union. These new northern territories would result in a northern advantage in the House, The Senate, and in the Electoral college. The south was also discontent because they were being taxed more heavily than the north even though the north consisted of wealthy aristocrats. If all of the new territories go through and are annexed, the North will have had control over 3/4 of the territories, leaving the balance even more lopsided. Tariffs were another reason that the Southern states had become discontent. High taxes on imports such as the Abominable Tariff infuriated the south because it hurt their trade with other countries. Finally, the issue over slavery was the final straw in the discontent. The north thought slavery was unjust and wrong. However, the south believed that it was necessary for their economy to succeed. The end result was either abolition or secession.

Calhoun stated that in order to preserve the union is to appease the southern states and to make them happy. If the federal government failed to do so, it would lead to the break in the union.