John C. Calhoun: Quitter Who Thought Jackson Wasn't Racist Enough
- Aug 22
- 2 min read
Who Was John C. Calhoun?
Born in South Carolina in 1782, Calhoun was ambitious from the jump. He became a congressman, senator, Secretary of War, and eventually vice president, not once, but twice — under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson . But Calhoun wasn’t just a politician. He was a political theorist who believed slavery wasn’t just necessary — it was a 'positive good.' That makes him one of the intellectual architects of the Confederacy, decades before it existed.
The Ambition Problem
Calhoun wanted the presidency. Badly. Instead, he got the VP slot — twice. He was aiming for main character energy, but history cast him as a sidekick. He played second fiddle, waiting for his moment to pounce, but it never came.
The Petticoat Affair (aka D.C.’s Real Housewives Moment)
In the early 1830s, Washington was torn apart by… social drama. Floride Calhoun (John’s wife) refused to accept Peggy Eaton, wife of the Secretary of War, into polite society. Most of D.C.’s political wives followed Floride’s lead. Jackson, still grieving the slander of his own late wife Rachel, wasn’t having it. He defended Peggy Eaton fiercely. Suddenly, the president and his vice president were on opposite sides of a mean-girl feud that turned into a political crisis.
The Nullification Crisis: Calhoun’s Big Idea
At the same time, South Carolina was furious about federal tariffs that hurt its planter economy. Calhoun came up with the doctrine of nullification — that a state could declare a federal law void and simply ignore it. It wasn’t just about tariffs. Nullification was about laying legal groundwork to defend slavery forever.
The Jefferson Day Dinner Toast
April 1830: Jackson and Calhoun faced off at a political dinner.- Jackson: 'Our Federal Union — it must be preserved.'- Calhoun’s clapback: 'The Union, next to our liberty most dear.'Translation: Jackson wanted to save the country. Calhoun wanted to save slavery. Imagine being so pro-slavery that Andrew Jackson — Trail of Tears, enslaver Andrew Jackson — looks like the moderate in the room.
The Breakup
By 1832, things had gone off the rails. Jackson pushed for the Force Bill, authorizing military action against South Carolina if it defied federal law. Calhoun doubled down on nullification and resigned, becoming the first VP in U.S. history to walk out. He didn’t resign out of honor, not for scandal. He quit because Jackson wasn’t extreme enough on slavery.
The Legacy Burn
Calhoun never made it to the presidency. But his ideas — nullification, states’ rights, slavery as a 'positive good' — lived on. He handed the South the intellectual starter pack for secession. So no, Calhoun didn’t become president. But he did help pave the road to the Civil War. Congratulations, sir: participation trophy accepted. 🏆