Dec. 15, 2025

SATT 033.2/VPOTUS 007.2 - John C Calhoun Part Two

SATT 033.2/VPOTUS 007.2 - John C Calhoun Part Two

Tenure of Office: December 8, 1817 - March 4, 1825 (as Secretary of War); March 4, 1825 - December 28, 1832 (as Vice President); April 1, 1844 - March 10, 1845 (as Secretary of State)

In the contested presidential election of 1824, Calhoun was without question elected as Vice President. In this episode, I am joined by Alycia of Civics and Coffee and Alex of the Vice Presidencies series to explore his tenure during his nearly (but not quite) two terms in office, how he navigated (and facilitated) the changeover in presidents, and his move from the rostrum to a Senate seat in the midst of a national crisis. Sources used for this episode can be found at https://www.presidenciespodcast.com.

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Special thanks to Alycia of Civics and Coffee and Alex of the Vice Presidencies series for joining me for this episode!

Sources used for all three parts of the John C Calhoun episode:

  • Cash, Jordan T. Adding the Lone Star: John Tyler, Sam Houston, and the Annexation of Texas. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2024.
  • Cunningham, Noble E, Jr. The Presidency of James Monroe. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1996.
  • Elder, Robert. Calhoun: American Heretic. New York: Basic Books, 2021. 
  • Landry, Jerry. The Presidencies of the United States. 2017-2025. https://www.presidenciespodcast.com.
  • McCoy, Drew R. The Last of the Fathers: James Madison & The Republican Legacy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991 [1989].
  • Mooney, Chase C. William H. Crawford: 1772-1834. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 1974.
  • Nichols, Roger L, and Patrick L Halley. Stephen Long and American Frontier Exploration. Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995.
  • Norwood, Dael A. Trading Freedom: How Trade With China Defined Early America. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2022.
  • Silkenat, David. Scars on the Land: An Environmental History of Slavery in the American South. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022.
  • Traub, James. John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit. New York: Basic Books, 2017 [2016].
  • Walters, Raymond, Jr. Alexander James Dallas: Lawyer – Politician – Financier. Philadelphia: University of Philadelphia Press, 1943.

Featured Image: "John C Calhoun" by George Peter Alexander Healy [c. 1845], courtesy of Wikipedia