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.
John C. CalhounRead
The error is in the assumption that the General Government is a party to the constitutional compact. The States ... formed the compact, acting as sovereign and independent communities.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that the states, as independent entities, created the compact and that the General Government operates as a separate entity.
John C. Calhoun argues that the foundational understanding of the United States' constitutional arrangement is flawed if one assumes that the federal government is inherently part of the agreement. Instead, it is the states, viewed as sovereign and independent, that came together to form the constitutional compact, highlighting the distinct roles and autonomy of state versus federal powers.
Themes
ConstitutionGovernmentSovereigntyStates RightsCompact
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on federalism, this quote can highlight the importance of state sovereignty.
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I hold that there is a mysterious connection between the fate of this country and that of Mexico; so much so that her independence and capability of sustaining herself are almost as essential to our prosperity and the maintenance of our institutions as they are to hers.
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There is not an example on record of any free state holding a province of the same extent and population without disastrous consequences. The nations conquered and held as a province have, in time, retaliated by destroying the liberty of their conquerors through the corrupting effect of extended patronage and irresponsible power.
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Stripped of all its covering, the naked question is, whether ours is a federal or consolidated government; a constitutional or absolute one; a government resting solidly on the basis of the sovereignty of the States, or on the unrestrained will of a majority; a form of government, as in all other unlimited ones, in which injustice, violence, and force must ultimately prevail.
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Restore, without delay, the equilibrium between revenue and expenditures, which has done so much to destroy our credit and derange the whole fabric of government. If that should not be done, the government and country will be involved, ere long, in overwhelming difficulties.
John C. CalhounRead
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