LAD #12: John Calhoun's Speech

Calhoun starts by stating his interest in preserving the union despite the slavery issue. He believes that one must understand the cause of the dissolution of the Union to try to solve the problem. The main cause, in Calhoun’s opinion, is the fact that the Southern states are unhappy with the union. Going further, the discontent that exists in the South is caused by the different political parties in their political lives. The force of political parties is a powerful one and could not stop the Southern discontent from spreading. There is another, deeper cause to the discontent in the South, and that is the simple belief among people in the South that they cannot remain a part of the union.

There are many causes for this feeling, the first being the prevalent slave issue. The fact that the northerners have dominance in the Federal government greatly bothers the South as well. This has led the South to believe that they are oppressed.  

Calhoun expresses some concern about the upcoming census, and the fact that there are territories approaching statehood in the North, but not the South. The true concern in this matter is that this problem is completely caused by the government. The looming problem of a sectional majority in the legislative branch of the Federal government also contributes. The North is also claiming territory and leaving the South out of it.

The problems caused by the tariff which helped Northern merchants but indirectly hurt Southern farmers is of particular issue. This has the effect of making the North richer and more appealing to immigrants. This contributes to the population shift that has given the North the majority in Congress.

Here, Calhoun jumps back to the issue of slavery, and how against it Northerners are. The slavery issue alone creates dissonance between the two, because the North thinks of slavery as sinful and primitive. Because of this, they feel that the South is a problem that takes away from the character of the nation as a whole.

Unless something is done, the nation will fall apart under these problems. The sectional problems cannot end until slavery is ended, but even that blow will not end the disunity between sections. However, if the agitation continues at the same level, the union will fall apart.

From here, Calhoun questions how the nation can be saved. Only by destroying the root cause for the problems can peace be achieved. Only the North can accomplish this, but they must be willing to, as they are the stronger party. The aim is to improve and strengthen the South to put the nation on equal footing.

Calhoun hopes that all the Senators to whom he is speaking wish for a peaceful settlement, and begs that his ideas be considered. He believes that he has done his duty on this matter by giving this speech, and that others must actually take the steps to produce peace.