What was John C. Calhoun’s reaction to the idea of compromise? What did he propose as a solution?
John C. Calhoun was a staunch advocate for protecting the interests of the slaveholding South and was deeply opposed to compromise on issues related to slavery. He believed in the doctrine of states' rights and argued that any compromise that restricted the expansion of slavery would be a violation of the Constitution.
Instead of compromise, Calhoun proposed the concept of nullification, which allowed states to declare federal laws unconstitutional and therefore void within their borders. This idea was meant to protect the rights of states to govern themselves and resist any laws that they deemed harmful to their interests. Calhoun famously supported this doctrine during the Nullification Crisis of 1832-1833, when South Carolina tried to nullify the federal tariffs that were perceived as detrimental to Southern interests.