John C. Calhoun, a prominent South Carolina politician and staunch advocate for slavery, refused to compromise on the expansion of slavery during the debate over California's statehood. He believed that allowing California to enter the Union as a free state would disrupt the delicate balance between free and slave states, and threaten the institution of slavery. Calhoun's uncompromising stance on slavery contributed to escalating tensions between the North and South, eventually leading to the Civil War.
