Calhoun: American Heretic
- Downloads：8673
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-24 14:51:31
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Robert Elder
- ISBN：0465096441
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The first biography in a quarter century of the intellectual father of Southern secession
John C。 Calhoun is among the most notorious and enigmatic figures in American political history。 First elected to Congress in 1810， Calhoun went on to serve as secretary of war and vice president。 But he is perhaps most known for arguing in favor of slavery as a "positive good" and for his famous doctrine of "state interposition，" which laid the groundwork for the South to secede from the Union -- and arguably set the nation on course for civil war。
Calhoun has catapulted back into the public eye in recent years， as the strain of radical politics he developed has found expression once again in the tactics and extremism of the modern Far Right。 In this revelatory biographical study， historian Robert Elder shows that Calhoun is crucial for understanding the political climate in which we find ourselves today。 By excising him from the mainstream of American history， we have been left with a distorted understanding of our past and no way to explain our present。
John C。 Calhoun is among the most notorious and enigmatic figures in American political history。 First elected to Congress in 1810， Calhoun went on to serve as secretary of war and vice president。 But he is perhaps most known for arguing in favor of slavery as a "positive good" and for his famous doctrine of "state interposition，" which laid the groundwork for the South to secede from the Union -- and arguably set the nation on course for civil war。
Calhoun has catapulted back into the public eye in recent years， as the strain of radical politics he developed has found expression once again in the tactics and extremism of the modern Far Right。 In this revelatory biographical study， historian Robert Elder shows that Calhoun is crucial for understanding the political climate in which we find ourselves today。 By excising him from the mainstream of American history， we have been left with a distorted understanding of our past and no way to explain our present。
Reviews
Michel Sabbagh
，
Subject Appeal: 3/5。Research Depth: 5/5。Research Breadth: 5/5。Narrative Flow: 4/5。Verdict: 4/5。 A sweeping and hard-hitting breakdown of a political notoriety whose thinking led to the Union's breakdown。 Subject Appeal: 3/5。Research Depth: 5/5。Research Breadth: 5/5。Narrative Flow: 4/5。Verdict: 4/5。 A sweeping and hard-hitting breakdown of a political notoriety whose thinking led to the Union's breakdown。 。。。more
Ken Baker
，
Heavy heavy reading of one of USA's most notorious early day government leaders。。。totally believing in the superiority of the "white" "man"。 Most folks will say the Civil War was fought over the abolition of slavery。。。it was actually fought over a state's right to allow slavery of they so chose。 This biography brings to an even brighter light the dangerous extremism we are witnessing today in police controversies， racism， white supremacy， anti semitism， truth creations， immigration， on and on。 G Heavy heavy reading of one of USA's most notorious early day government leaders。。。totally believing in the superiority of the "white" "man"。 Most folks will say the Civil War was fought over the abolition of slavery。。。it was actually fought over a state's right to allow slavery of they so chose。 This biography brings to an even brighter light the dangerous extremism we are witnessing today in police controversies， racism， white supremacy， anti semitism， truth creations， immigration， on and on。 Give it 2 1/2 stars **。。。hard to read about this heretic but important to remind us that we are not far from the same atmosphere as during Calhoun's time。 。。。more
Wyatt
，
An incredible historical biography。 Meticulously researched and detailed。 Calhoun was a world-class piece of garbage， but his effect on our country is indelible and undeniable。
Eric
，
One of the better modern America history books， but it still gets in some biased PC jabs against the current cultural bogeymen Republicans （GOP） by grouping the "bad guy" Calhoun with the war Republicans （page 98） when no Republican Party existed back then。 But given the current cancel culture， it's excusable。 Wouldn't want to mistake him as associated with the Democrat Party， even though Andrew Jackson （for whom Calhoun served as VP） used to be considered the first Democrat Party president。 But One of the better modern America history books， but it still gets in some biased PC jabs against the current cultural bogeymen Republicans （GOP） by grouping the "bad guy" Calhoun with the war Republicans （page 98） when no Republican Party existed back then。 But given the current cancel culture， it's excusable。 Wouldn't want to mistake him as associated with the Democrat Party， even though Andrew Jackson （for whom Calhoun served as VP） used to be considered the first Democrat Party president。 But beyond that， his research is thorough， his conclusions make sense， and his writing is enjoyable。 A fair number of the chapters were really thought provoking， concerning Calhoun's thinking on the political issues of the day。 His clashes with Clay， Jackson， Webster etc really did bring that period alive。 And surprisingly for a 21st century political history book， it actually mentioned the existence of the private sector a few times， and it's importance to society in that time period。 So I'm inspired to read a few books about John Jacob Aster as my next deep dive into the pre-Civil War time period。 I'll pick up a couple of old books from the library tomorrow。 And fortunately， I don't have any SJW's as friends anymore， so I can say what I really think about him in my review。d 。。。more
Herb
，
Engrossing， detailed look at the life of the notorious SC politician， slave-holder and vehement racist。 Calhoun was much more than a racist （brilliant， strategic， grandiloquent）， although he was certainly that。 Excellent book。
Ernie Elsner
，
Excellent book covering a transitional period of the US。This exhaustive report on many aspects of political， social， economic and various governmental actions from the first half of the 19th century were Informative and included areas not covered by authors of books for presidents and other significant characters of this period of our history。
Christopher Vona
，
This is an excellent biography of Calhoun， one that offers an even-handed treatment of a very problematic historical figure。 Elder casts Calhoun as neither an untouchable giant nor as a villain to be cast away; instead， he presents us with a richly complicated human picture of someone who， at his best， grew the institutions that would one day blossom into fixtures of America， and who， at his worst， represented a toxic form of white supremacy whose poisonous effects are still felt in the present This is an excellent biography of Calhoun， one that offers an even-handed treatment of a very problematic historical figure。 Elder casts Calhoun as neither an untouchable giant nor as a villain to be cast away; instead， he presents us with a richly complicated human picture of someone who， at his best， grew the institutions that would one day blossom into fixtures of America， and who， at his worst， represented a toxic form of white supremacy whose poisonous effects are still felt in the present day。 Overall， I’d recommend this book to anyone trying to understand a complicated figure from America’s past and the long shadow he casts on its present。 。。。more
Austin Hunt
，
This was a good and extensive biography of Calhoun， in which Elder covers Calhoun's thought， political activities， and personal life。 My biggest critique is that this biography is somewhat "busy，" which makes it harder to see the forest for the trees。Two interesting points that I took from the book were 1） the importance （to the U。S。 and Calhoun， in particular） of Britain's emancipation of slaves in 1833 and 2） Calhoun's fairly non-partisan attitude toward politics。 I think that in some ways， th This was a good and extensive biography of Calhoun， in which Elder covers Calhoun's thought， political activities， and personal life。 My biggest critique is that this biography is somewhat "busy，" which makes it harder to see the forest for the trees。Two interesting points that I took from the book were 1） the importance （to the U。S。 and Calhoun， in particular） of Britain's emancipation of slaves in 1833 and 2） Calhoun's fairly non-partisan attitude toward politics。 I think that in some ways， these these two points informed the difference between "early Calhoun" （i。e。， war hawk， nationalistic， supported tariffs） and "late Calhoun" （i。e。， nullification， free trade， positive good， etc。）， but I wish that Elder was more explicit in this area。 。。。more
Jeff J。
，
A timely and comprehensive biography of John C。 Calhoun。 While he was arguably the founder of secessionism， and a target of the contemporary left， he was also arguably the first progressive in American politics。
Julian Stoudemire
，
A definitive look at John C CalhounAs a South Carolinians， a history major in college， a trial lawyer and a resident of the original SC county in which Ft。 Hill was situate and where Calhoun lived， I am embarrassed to say I knew little about him ， only on the surface。 This work opened my eyes to his intellect， his passion， his vision and leadership。 Had it not been for his lifelong slavery position， he would be revered nationally。 Slavery and white Supremacy dominated his life。 He would be consi A definitive look at John C CalhounAs a South Carolinians， a history major in college， a trial lawyer and a resident of the original SC county in which Ft。 Hill was situate and where Calhoun lived， I am embarrassed to say I knew little about him ， only on the surface。 This work opened my eyes to his intellect， his passion， his vision and leadership。 Had it not been for his lifelong slavery position， he would be revered nationally。 Slavery and white Supremacy dominated his life。 He would be considered great but for this position。 A great book！ 。。。more
Jean-Luc
，
A long overdue biography of this American vice president。 A must for anybody interested by 19th century American politics and government，and the years preceding the Civil War。 Robert Elder gave us a magnificent portrait of a complex American politician during a tumultuous period of American history！ Like we say in French: "Chapeau！" （Bravo！） A long overdue biography of this American vice president。 A must for anybody interested by 19th century American politics and government，and the years preceding the Civil War。 Robert Elder gave us a magnificent portrait of a complex American politician during a tumultuous period of American history！ Like we say in French: "Chapeau！" （Bravo！） 。。。more
Kusaimamekirai
，
"I know not which to pronounce most guilty; the nation that inflicts the wrong， or that which quietly submits to it。"-John Calhoun I knew a little about the life of John Calhoun before starting this excellent biography of his life and times， however the more I read， the more I began to feel like it is exceedingly difficult to write an objective biography of such a fascinating， if not polarizing， man。 And yet， that’s exactly what this biography accomplishes。 John Calhoun was born to Irish immigr "I know not which to pronounce most guilty; the nation that inflicts the wrong， or that which quietly submits to it。"-John Calhoun I knew a little about the life of John Calhoun before starting this excellent biography of his life and times， however the more I read， the more I began to feel like it is exceedingly difficult to write an objective biography of such a fascinating， if not polarizing， man。 And yet， that’s exactly what this biography accomplishes。 John Calhoun was born to Irish immigrant parents and from a young age felt the sting of class discrimination as not only a farmer’s son， but also being of Irish descent in a British colony。 Calhoun however， much like Abraham Lincoln （perhaps the only time those two diametrically opposed people will ever stand in comparison to each other）， refused to let his upbringing limit him。 He would prove to be an extremely studious， and ambitious young man whose ambition never ceased until he breathed his last breath。 While it is easy to look back at Calhoun’s life and say he was the prime mover of sustaining slavery in America through his rhetoric （which he undoubtedly was） as well as someone whose profession of love for the Union rarely came without the caveat that secession was a very real possibility， his life was certainly a complex one。 He was throughout his life a staunch supporter of the rights of the minority， for Calhoun this typically meant the South and more specifically white southerners， and at least early in his career seemed to be willing to find compromises where they could be found。 Calhoun was also however， a deeply ambitious man who desperately wanted to be president。 This ambition saw him at times stretch his own credibility and consistency in taking up positions that a few short years earlier he loudly opposed。 He was for a national bank before he was against it。 As secretary of war he built up America’s navy despite earlier being horrified by the idea of a standing army。 He tried to push through an ambitious infrastructure program of roads and canals to connect the country， hoping that more interaction and commerce between disparate parts of the country would lead to less factionalism and more comity。 Yet years later he would strongly condemn such projects as being beyond the scope of the constitution。 （he would make an exception for infrastructure projects in his native south however where he used the tortured logic that because the Mississippi river was involved， it would benefit all sections of the country and was therefore constitutional）。 The impressive thing about Calhoun however， and an indication of the depth of his intellect， was how he could contort these blatant contradictory positions into a coherent and forceful argument。 No more so than when he was arguing for slaveholders and the institution of slavery。 It is fair to say that this was the singular thing that all of his other beliefs revolved around。 An avid expansionist， Calhoun opposed the Mexican war primarily because he feared the new territory would enter the union as free states and therefore reduce the power of slaveholders and the South。 He was virulently anti-British not simply because of his upbringing but because he saw the British movement toward abolition as a threat to American slavery。 Despite being a tireless supporter of states rights and government overreach， he supported the government banning abolitionist pamphlets in the mail while using the same mail to send pro-slavery propaganda around the country。 If slavery was involved， it was the one thing that Calhoun seemingly would or could not surrender to his ambition。 Calhoun was loved in the South and for many was the spiritual inspiration for the men who ten years after his death would secede from the United States under his name。 He however was not similarly revered in the North where President John Adams would describe Calhoun （his vice president at the time） as:“A man of considerable talent， and burning ambition， stimulated to frenzy by success， flattery， and premature advancement。 Governed by no steady principle; but sagacious to seize upon every prevailing popular breeze to swell his own sails。 [He is] the dupe and tool of every knave cunning enough to drop the oil of fools in his ear。” Or an advisor to Andrew Jackson who would describe Calhoun as an: “Ambitious demagogue and would sacrifice friends & country， & move heaven & earth， if he had the power， to gratify his unholy ambition。” I particularly enjoyed the book’s epilogue in that the author clearly is trying to come to terms with Calhoun’s legacy。 He talks briefly about Calhoun and other civil war statues that were being built across the South at the end of reconstruction and the beginning of Jim Crow in the late 19th century， as well as our current age’s movement to remove them。 I think the author’s stance that while removal of the statues is appropriate， obliterating the memories of men like Calhoun， as odious as he was in certain respects， does a disservice to who we were as Americans and deprives us of a chance to have a national conversation about who we want to be。 Some figures in our history were so influential that we cannot simply ignore them。 I believe John Calhoun was one of these men and agree with the author’s final assessment of him that:“We do not have to honor John C。 Calhoun， nor should we。 But he has not left us the luxury of forgetting him。 Perhaps that， as much as anything else， is his real monument。” 。。。more
Caroline David
，