The 6th (1839-1844) and 9th (1850-1850) President of the Union of American States.
Presidency of John C. Calhoun (1839 – 1844, Briefly in 1850)
1839: Calhoun’s Rise—The First Uncontested President
John C. Calhoun, a fanatical defender of aristocratic supremacy and slavery, was installed as President in 1839, marking the formal end of any democratic pretense in the Union of American States.
Calhoun saw the Union not just as a slave economy, but as a divinely ordained aristocracy, where power belonged solely to landowners, and all others existed to serve.
His inauguration speech made his ideology clear:
“The Union is not a nation of equals. It is a land of order, tradition, and discipline, where the strong shall rule, and the weak shall serve their betters.”
Under Calhoun, the Union officially became a totalitarian slave state, where:
- Only landowners could hold political power.
- All non-landowners were bound to permanent servitude.
- The last remnants of free labor were abolished.
His rule saw a rapid centralization of power within a small circle of elite families, ensuring that even among aristocrats, only the wealthiest held real influence.
1840-1842: The Fundamental Order & The Purge of Lesser Nobles
Calhoun’s first act was to rewrite the Union’s legal framework, replacing the old constitution with The Fundamental Order of the Union, a document that:
- Codified the permanent rule of the aristocracy.
- Eliminated all local governance structures that did not directly serve plantation owners.
- Abolished manumission, ensuring that slavery was an eternal institution.
At the same time, Calhoun began to turn against his own class, initiating the Refinement Doctrine, which declared that only the “purest” aristocrats should rule.
- Lesser noble families were stripped of power, their lands redistributed to Calhoun’s allies.
- The Planter Council was purged, with its more moderate members executed or exiled.
- Private militias were nationalized into the Enforcement Corps, creating a centralized paramilitary force directly loyal to Calhoun.
By 1842, Calhoun had consolidated absolute power, but his paranoia was beginning to consume him.
1843-1844: The Height of Paranoia & Calhoun’s Downfall
By the mid-1840s, Calhoun’s obsession with rooting out opposition escalated into full-scale purges.
- He ordered mass arrests of plantation owners suspected of disloyalty.
- He accused members of his own government of treason, many of whom were executed.
- His spy networks expanded, leading to a culture of fear, even among the elite.
By 1844, even his closest allies began to turn against him. His paranoia had become unsustainable, and the ruling class saw his erratic behavior as a liability.
That same year, Calhoun suffered a massive stroke, incapacitating him.
With the nation in turmoil, the Planter Council moved quickly to replace him with John Tyler, a moderate aristocrat who could serve as a stabilizing figure.
Calhoun, now severely weakened and confined to convalescence, was quietly removed from power. While he remained an influential figure behind the scenes, he was no longer able to lead directly.
For five years, he faded from public life, his once-dominant rule reduced to whispers in the halls of the elite.
1849-1850: The Return & The Assassination of Zachary Taylor
By 1849, Calhoun had partially recovered, and he was furious at how much power he had lost.
That year, Zachary Taylor was elected as President, representing a faction of nationalists who sought to curb corruption and consolidate power under a stronger federal government.
Calhoun saw Taylor as a direct threat to the aristocracy’s hold on power.
- In July 1850, Calhoun and his allies orchestrated Taylor’s assassination, poisoning him at a political banquet.
- Immediately after Taylor’s death, Calhoun declared himself President by Fiat.
- Aristocratic militias stormed government buildings, purging Taylor’s remaining loyalists.
For a brief period, Calhoun held absolute power once again.
However, his health was already failing.
1850: The Final Collapse—Calhoun’s Death & The Rise of Clemson
By late 1850, Calhoun’s physical and mental state deteriorated rapidly.
- His paranoia returned, and he began executing even his closest allies.
- He became convinced that his enemies were poisoning him.
- His health collapsed, and he died in December 1850.
His death left a massive power vacuum, which was quickly filled by Thomas Green Clemson, his hand-picked successor.
Clemson would go on to rule for nearly four decades, ushering in the most brutally repressive era in Union history.
Legacy of John C. Calhoun’s Presidency
✔ Eliminated the last remnants of democracy in the Union.
✔ Codified slavery as an unchangeable, permanent institution.
✔ Orchestrated mass purges of both commoners and aristocrats.
✔ Suffered a stroke in 1844, leading to his removal from power.
✔ Returned in 1850 to assassinate President Zachary Taylor.
✔ Declared himself President by Fiat but died within months, leading to Clemson’s rise.
Calhoun was the architect of the Union’s most oppressive systems, but his own paranoia destroyed him. His death cleared the way for even worse tyrants to follow.