John C. Calhoun's Theory of Republicanism

John C. Calhoun's Theory of Republicanism PDF Author: John G. Grove
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700623345
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
John C. Calhoun (1782–1850), the South Carolinian who served as a congressman, a senator, and the seventh vice president of the United States, is best known for his role in southern resistance to abolition and his doctrine of state nullification. But he was also an accomplished political thinker, articulating the theory of the “concurrent majority.” This theory, John G. Grove contends, is a rare example of American political thought resting on classical assumptions about human nature and political life. By tracing Calhoun's ideas over the course of his political career, Grove unravels the relationship between the theory of the concurrent majority and civic harmony, constitutional reform, and American slavery. In doing so, Grove distinguishes Calhoun's political philosophy from his practical, political commitment to states' rights and slavery, and identifies his ideas as a genuinely classical form of republicanism that focuses on the political nature of mankind, public virtue, and civic harmony. Man was a social creature, Calhoun argued, and the role of government was to maximize society's ability to thrive. The requirements of social harmony, not abstract individual rights, were therefore the foundation of political order. Hence the concurrent majority permitted the unique elements in any given society to pursue their interests as long as these did not damage the whole society; it forced rulers to act in the interest of the whole. John C. Calhoun's Theory of Republicanism offers a close analysis of the historical development of this idea from a basic, inherited republican ideology into a well-defined political theory. In the process, this book demonstrates that Calhoun's infamous defense of American slavery, while unwavering, was intellectually shallow and, in some ways, contradicted his highly developed political theory.

John C. Calhoun's Theory of Republicanism

John C. Calhoun's Theory of Republicanism PDF Author: John G. Grove
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700623345
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
John C. Calhoun (1782–1850), the South Carolinian who served as a congressman, a senator, and the seventh vice president of the United States, is best known for his role in southern resistance to abolition and his doctrine of state nullification. But he was also an accomplished political thinker, articulating the theory of the “concurrent majority.” This theory, John G. Grove contends, is a rare example of American political thought resting on classical assumptions about human nature and political life. By tracing Calhoun's ideas over the course of his political career, Grove unravels the relationship between the theory of the concurrent majority and civic harmony, constitutional reform, and American slavery. In doing so, Grove distinguishes Calhoun's political philosophy from his practical, political commitment to states' rights and slavery, and identifies his ideas as a genuinely classical form of republicanism that focuses on the political nature of mankind, public virtue, and civic harmony. Man was a social creature, Calhoun argued, and the role of government was to maximize society's ability to thrive. The requirements of social harmony, not abstract individual rights, were therefore the foundation of political order. Hence the concurrent majority permitted the unique elements in any given society to pursue their interests as long as these did not damage the whole society; it forced rulers to act in the interest of the whole. John C. Calhoun's Theory of Republicanism offers a close analysis of the historical development of this idea from a basic, inherited republican ideology into a well-defined political theory. In the process, this book demonstrates that Calhoun's infamous defense of American slavery, while unwavering, was intellectually shallow and, in some ways, contradicted his highly developed political theory.

Innovative Persuasions

Innovative Persuasions PDF Author: Zoltán Vajda
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Jeremiads
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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The Political Theory of John C. Calhoun

The Political Theory of John C. Calhoun PDF Author: August O. Spain
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Calhoun and Popular Rule

Calhoun and Popular Rule PDF Author: H. Lee Cheek
Publisher: University of Missouri Press
ISBN: 9780826215482
Category : Political science
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
Although John C. Calhoun (1782-1850) remains one of the major figures in American political thought, many of his critics have tried to discredit him as merely a Southern partisan whose ideas were obsolete even during his lifetime. In Calhoun and Popular Rule, H. Lee Cheek, Jr., attempts to correct such misconceptions by presenting Calhoun as an original political thinker who devoted his life to the recovery of a "proper mode of popular rule." As the first combined evaluation of Calhoun's most important treatises, The Disquisition and The Discourse, this work merges Calhoun's theoretical position with his endeavors to restore the need for popular rule. It also compares Calhoun's ideas with those of other great political thinkers such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison--while explaining what is truly unique about Calhoun's political thought.

A Disquisition on Government

A Disquisition on Government PDF Author: John Caldwell Calhoun
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political science
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Calhoun's Philosophy of Politics

Calhoun's Philosophy of Politics PDF Author: Guy Story Brown
Publisher: Mercer University Press
ISBN: 9780865546806
Category : Political science
Languages : en
Pages : 460

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Book Description
John C. Calhoun's A Disquisition on Government has been hailed since its publication in 1851 as a classic in political science and has been called the greatest work of American political theory. Guy Story Brown's Calhoun's Philosophy of Politics is the first comprehensive explication de texte of Calhoun's great work on political theory. This traditional textual analysis places Calhoun's theory within the broader context of the political philosophy he himself studied, from Aristotle to Bacon and the moderns on up to Rousseau and the Federalists. It also pays close attention to Calhoun's literary models, such as Livy. The result is the definitive interpretation of Calhoun's political philosophy and theory. This book makes Calhoun's philosophy accessible to contemporary thinkers and shows what Calhoun thought about issues such as world government. Topics discussed in Calhoun's Philosophy of Politics include nature and political science, empire and world government, political science and government, and political science and human progress.

A Disquisition on Government

A Disquisition on Government PDF Author: Etienne Stockland
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1351350048
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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Book Description
Nineteenth-century American politician John C. Calhoun occupies a paradoxical place in the history of political thought – and of critical thinking. On one hand, he is remembered as a committed advocate of slavery, consistently espousing views that are now considered indefensible and abhorrent. On the other, the political theories that Calhoun used to defend the social injustice of slavery have become the basis of the very systems by which modern democracies defend minority rights. Despite being crafted in defence of a system as unjust as slavery, the arguments that Calhoun expressed about minority rights in democracies in A Disquisition On Government remain an excellent example of how problem solving skills and reasoning can come together. The problem, for Calhoun, was both specific and general. As matters stood in the late 1840s, the majority of American states were anti-slavery, with only the minority, Southern states remaining pro-slavery. This boiled down to a crucial issue with democracy: the US government should not, Calhoun argued, only respect the wishes of the majority. Instead, democratic government must aim to harmonize diverse groups and their interests – governing, in so far as possible, for everyone. His analysis of how the Southern states could protect what he saw as their right to keep slaves led Calhoun to formulate solutions to the problem of ‘the tyranny of the majority’ that have since helped defend far worthier minority views.

The Works of John C. Calhoun: A disquisition on government and a discourse on the Constitution and government of the United States

The Works of John C. Calhoun: A disquisition on government and a discourse on the Constitution and government of the United States PDF Author: John Caldwell Calhoun
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : United States
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Union and Liberty

Union and Liberty PDF Author: John Caldwell Calhoun
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 664

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Book Description
"A Liberty Classics edition"--T.p. verso.Selected speeches: p. [401]-601. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Works of John C. Calhoun Volume 1

Works of John C. Calhoun Volume 1 PDF Author: Calhoun, John Caldwell
Publisher: Best Books on
ISBN: 1623766923
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 412

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Book Description