Blog #14: Calhoun's Speech on the Compromise of 1850

In John C. Calhoun’s speech on the Compromise of 1850, he voices his opinion on how the Union must be saved. He explains that the controversy over slavery will only end in disunion if action is not taken to prevent it from doing so. He says that what endangers the Union is the discontent in Southern states, which started with the slave question and has increased ever since. 

He goes on to explain that there is an unbalanced government because the North has dominance while the South remains unable to protect itself against oppression. A large part of the North’s power is due to the vast amount of land they gained, allowing for the addition of new states. In contrast, the South does not have nearly as much land and does not have any territories in progress. When the North tried to gain Mexico and excluded the South from this deal, it only furthered tensions. In fact, if the South had been included in the Ordinance of 1787 and the Missouri Compromise, immigration may have been divided and the North and South may have had equal populations. Also, if the South had retained equal rights in the territories of the North, it may have had an equal number of states, balancing the government. 

Knowing this, Calhoun asks the question of how agitation will be stopped within the U.S. He explains that disunion is a work of time, and that the slavery question had already destroyed some of the most important elements of the government, and has weakened the rest. Calhoun says that the Union can only be saved if the North adopts measures that satisfy the South, making them feel honored and safe within the Union. To do this, the North must give the South equal rights to new territory and include an amendment in the Constitution prohibiting slavery. 

In short, through this speech Calhoun voices his opinion that the preservation of the Union rests on the North. He wraps up by saying that whatever happens is not his responsibility because he explained how the Union could be preserved, and the North can choose to either take responsibility or disregard his opinion.

Calhoun's speech on the Compromise of 1850

When Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, he did so hoping that by freeing slaves in rebellious states, those states would become economically weak and have no choice but to remain part of the Union. This can be compared to Calhoun's speech, because he stated how the Union could be saved, and Lincoln was also hoping that he could somehow save the Union by signing this Proclamation.