ipl-logo

Summary Of John C. Calhoun's Clay Compromise Measures

496 Words2 Pages

The act of Southern rhetoric I have chosen to research and analyze is John C. Calhoun’s Clay Compromise Measures. John C. Calhoun, being from Charleston, South Carolina, was one of the South’s most famous senators during the time period from 1832 to 1850. He was then, and still is, known for ceaselessly defending the institution of slavery, promoting states’ rights, and being a radical nationalist. In fact, he often used the platform of states’ rights to argue his side for slavery. In The Clay Compromise Measures, Calhoun—although too sick to deliver the speech himself—challenges the Senate to honor the desires of the South and respect the region’s efforts to thwart the North’s impending influence over the South’s economic state. Calhoun …show more content…

Furthermore, this speech, being one of the most famous works by Calhoun, is important in the context of Southern culture because it helps to outline the differences between the North and the South that eventually led to the Civil War. His reference of slavery is one of the most important fragments of American history and the division between the Union and the Confederacy. For these reasons, I believe that this act of rhetoric is both appropriate and important to analyze in relation to Southern Rhetoric. The Clay Compromise Measures not only help to define what it meant to be Southern during the eighteen hundreds, but it also highlights the issues that ultimately shaped the South into what it is today. By drawing upon the differences between the North and the South, Calhoun provides insight to Southern Culture and how, to this day, the two regions differ. I firmly believe this small piece of Southern rhetoric can be analyzed in a broader context to help highlight the aspects of Southern culture that are contemporarily prominent. This speech clearly defines the issues that existed between the North and the South at this time and provides an agreeable perspective for most Southerners on those

Show More
Related

  • How Did Andrew Jackson Be Satisfied To Mark The Face Of A 20 Dollar Bill

    1071 Words  | 5 Pages

    Initially, he decided to raise tariffs on imported goods which the north was quite alright with, while Southerners were ignited with outrage as they prospered from the collection of imported goods. Threatening to secede from the United states, John C. Calhoun, the vice president, aided the South by declaring the states’ rights to nullify laws they deemed unconstitutional, stating, “The Union–next to our liberty, most dear.” (Appleby, 2000). This implied that their own liberties should be the primary priority before the importance of the Union. Jackson remains obstinate to his initial choice, causing Calhoun to resign and serve in the Senate to continue his debate for the equality of the southerners, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to change his mind.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

    717 Words  | 3 Pages

    During President Lincoln’s second inaugural address, the audience expected the speech to be on politics, slavery, and states’ rights. Instead, the speech was on the effects of civil war and gave his vision for the future of the nation. While doing so, he uses rhetorical strategies to achieve his purpose, which is to convince his audience to unite so they can move forward and fix their broken nation. With Lincoln’s main goal of linking the North and the South into one, he tends to use words such as each, both, neither, we, and us. Even though at the time they were looked at as two separate territories, this is his attempt of verbally joining the two as one, painting a picture of unity so that eventually they can work together to “bind up the nation’s wounds.”

    Read More

  • Missouri Compromise Of 1820 Dbq Essay

    605 Words  | 3 Pages

    “But this momentous question, like a fireball in The night, awakened and filled me with terror. I considered it at once as the knell of the Union” (Jefferson). This is from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Holmes in 1820 talking about the issue of slavery and the Missouri Compromise, and Thomas Jefferson was afraid that the Congress may keep on compromising to satiate the south’s want for slavery. The people in the north and the south kept I arguing till the Civil War, whether slavery should be continued or if they should get rid of this abominable institution, but Henry Clay did not want there to be a civil war so he helped write a compromise to keep the peace between the feuding halves of America dreaming that peace would be achieved. Even though many people in the south of America through the Missouri Compromise of 1820 would be beneficial, it ultimately failed, and it only postponed

    Read More

  • What Is The Difference Between The South Carolina Exposition And Protest By John C. Calhoun?

    625 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Tariff of 1828 was put in place to benefit the north and west involved with agriculture as it taxed imported goods, however it poorly impacted the southern states which gained most of its profit via these goods as it increased all the expenses due to this tariff. John C. Calhoun, quickly stepping up to represent his part of the country in opposing this tariff, anonymously wrote "The South Carolina Exposition and Protest" and sent it to the House of Representatives. In this essay Calhoun discussed how unconstitutional the "Tariff of Abominations", as he referred to it, was due to its favoring the north's interests in manufacturing industry over those in the south for trade. This tariff was implemented by President Jackson, of which Calhoun was Vice President and thus had to remain anonymous, and was said to not complete its purpose in preventing competition with foreign goods but merely to raise revenue for one half of the country, giving the southern half an overwhelming disadvantage financially. His primary focus

    Read More

  • Does Webster Seem To Agree With Slavery

    659 Words  | 3 Pages

    Webster mentions John C. Calhoun’s statement regarding the divisions between the members of the Methodist Episcopal church regarding slavery. Why does he do this? What message is he attempting to portray? Webster mentions the separation of the Methodist Episcopal church as a metaphor for South Carolina’s threat to separate from the union.

    Read More

  • Fugitive Slave Law DBQ Essay

    865 Words  | 4 Pages

    The 19th century was among the most chaotic century of American History. Significant changes that took place throughout these years have affected the United States for ages. Since the drafting of the Constitution in 1787, the north and the south had grown further apart in terms of ideologies. Fears amongst both groups were realized when the expansion of slavery into western territories entered Congressional debates. Thus, slavery became a driving force in most political controversies such as the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and Bleeding Kansas.

    Read More

  • Clay's Final Compromise

    2231 Words  | 9 Pages

    Following the Mexican-American War, America had gained the Utah and New Mexico territories as well as California from the Bear Flag Revolt. The onset of Manifest Destiny occurred faster than ever before, with territories vying to become full US states. Northerners fought to stop the expansion of slavery, whereas Southerners argued for the opposite. Over the 20 years since Clay’s last compromise, sectional divisions grew worse than ever before seen in the country. Still not having decided his opinion on the issue of slavery, Clay saw how important it was to compromise.

    Read More

  • Opposition To Slavery Dbq Essay

    1173 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Nation grew increasingly divided through the mid-1800’s over the issue of slavery, to the extent that it bled into other issues, primarily as a tensioned pretense to admis-sion of new states to the Union. Presidents prior to Polk either passively or actively re-sisted the annexation of new territories or promoting statehood, recognizing the issue of slavery and probable effects of spreading or denying slavery. The North’s ideological opposition to slavery was equally as legitimate as the South’s reasoning, but with slave labor accounting for up to 50 percent of the population in the South, there was also ac-ceptance on economical basis. Vast new lands became American territory throughout this period, while other disputed lands had boundaries

    Read More

  • Mexican American War Dbq Essay

    1164 Words  | 5 Pages

    With a desire to achieve the ideology of manifest destiny, the United States called war on Mexico to acquire their land. However, with the United States’ victory came the inevitable debate about slavery in not only the newly acquired territories, but also in the nation as a whole. The nation began to divide on the issue of slavery due to the Missouri Compromise which legalized slavery below the 36°30’ parallel and the Kansas-Nebraska Act which decided that the issue of slavery should be solved by popular sovereignty. Controversy sparked by political decisions like those aforementioned and events about slavery, disputes over slavery status in the territories, and extremist outlooks on the solution to these issues increased sectionalism and

    Read More

  • John C. Calhoun's Debate

    696 Words  | 3 Pages

    Calhoun did not do his public promoting committing to federalism on time which was in other words a way of saying that he was late to his promoting committing to federalism. Calhoun wanted to keep his place as a well-known southern leader and get to is political goals that he wanted to complete in life as he as being taken to a future. Calhoun had a new and even more influential bully pulpit for his pro-Southern arguments Calhoun gave a bill to make good things in roads Calhoun offered a bill to make improvement in

    Read More

  • Henry Clay The Great Compromise

    1285 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Great Compromise of 1850 was created in hopes to prevent a civil war between the northern and southern states after new territory was acquired from the Mexican War. Although the Great Compromise failed to create a united nation, it prolonged the outbreak of a civil war for nearly a century. Following the Mexican war, was a period of building tension between the northern states and southern states. Many tried and failed to face the debate of compromise in uniting the north and the south. Henry Clay, one of Kentucky’s very own senators, plays a hand in an attempt to help solve the outreaching debate over slavery and the territory in which slavery is allowed.

    Read More

  • An Example Of Andrew Jackson As A War Hero

    568 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a democracy, we expect our leaders to care about the we want as a union. However, this isn 't what we always get. For example, Andrew Jackson could be considered one of these self serving leaders. To some, Andrew Jackson represents a war hero but others would say he was an arrogant and unbending person. Impoverished and uneducated he would rise from orphan to war hero leaving thousands of Native Americans dead in the wake of his political ambitions.

    Read More

  • How Did Slavery Cause Secession

    1451 Words  | 6 Pages

    ‘Slavery was the root cause of secession’. ‘November 6 1860, Lincoln was elected president of America which resulted in panic emerging in the South’ . The election of Lincoln as president who was a Republican leader meant that ideologies, movements and values from the North would be implemented in the South which meant the abolition of slavery. Slavery was a huge characteristic of the South as the economy; politics; social status and psychological mind-sets were influenced by the process of slavery. The southern white population then derived the idea of secession which meant the South would gain independence from Northern aggression .

    Read More

  • What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July Essay

    636 Words  | 3 Pages

    he uses bold words and biting criticism to call attention to the gross injustices and hypocrisy of slavery in the United States. In the opening remarks of his speech, Douglas provides heart-wrenching descriptions to pull his audience into the lives of their fellow

    Read More

  • Compromises Between 1820 And 1860

    1121 Words  | 5 Pages

    Clay wanted to keep the nation together. Henry Clay, a Senator, was someone who wanted to keep the nation together, so he gave a speech to the Senate in 1833 about how South Carolina cannot secede and become an independent state, and doesn't want to. “I say it is impossible that South Carolina ever desired for a moment to become a separate and independent state” (Doc A). For the people that were against slavery, they held anti-slavery conventions, talking about how awful slavery is and even called slave

    Read More

More about Summary Of John C. Calhoun's Clay Compromise Measures

Open Document