“The danger in our system is that the general government, which represents the interests of the whole, may encroach on the states, which represent the peculiar and local interests, or that the latter may encroach on the former.”

American statesman and political theorist

John C. Calhoun was an American statesman and political theorist, and the seventh vice president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1832. He is remembered for the force of his ideas as much as for the offices he held. Calhoun began as a nationalist who favored a stronger federal government and protective tariffs, then became a leading voice for states' rights, limited government, nullification, and opposition to high tariffs. He also became an outspoken defender of slavery, and his arguments later shaped Southern thinking about secession from the Union.