John C. Calhoun: “On the Second Resolution Reported by the Committee on Foreign Relations”

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

In 1811, Great Britain and France were at war, while America was a neutral country. Americans in general had profound dislike of the despotic regime in France and despised the regime in Great Britain. Great Britain declared an embargo on trade with France, but instead of just blockading French ports, it sent warships to blockade American ports, claiming that American ships might be bound for France. By 1811 Great Britain had seized more than one thousand American merchant ships and was impressing American seamen into the British navy, to serve as slaves, as Calhoun notes. The British blockade of American ports was bankrupting the country, because American goods could not be traded abroad and goods from abroad could not be imported—meaning that the federal government could collect no tariffs or other trade-related fees, which were the primary source of federal funding. The economies of agricultural and industrial states alike were collapsing, and people could not earn enough money to pay for the basics of life. Many politicians wanted to appease Great Britain, possibly by giving Maine to the British Empire.

Yet the House Committee on Foreign Relations delivered to the House of Representatives a recommendation that America prepare for war and demand reparations for the harm done by Great Britain. The response of many representatives was to point out that the resolution, if passed by the House, would be viewed by the British as a declaration of war and that America could not afford to fight the greatest military power on earth. On December 12, 1811, Calhoun rose to counter the arguments that opposed the recommendation of the Foreign Relations Committee. His speech struck the House like a thunderbolt. As Calhoun delivered it, his audience became ever more excited; what had been a depressed group became a group with a strong sense of direction, eager to go where Calhoun pointed. There was still a hard-fought battle before Calhoun's point of view won out and the House resolved to fight Great Britain, but from that day onward, Calhoun had followers of his own who regarded him as a great leader.

In this speech, Calhoun echoes the Declaration of Independence by trying to stir the emotions of his listeners as well as their minds. In so doing, he not only galvanized the House of Representatives but also reshaped how Americans thought of themselves. Instead of portraying America as a poor backwater in the world, he depicts America as a great nation, worth defending regardless of the expense, and Americans as a great people, worthy of standing among the greatest powers on earth. He urges the U.S. government not just to issue warnings to its oppressors but furthermore to take forceful action.