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Southern Classics
John C. Calhoun: American Portrait
John C. Calhoun remains a striking and central figure in American history. From 1811 to 1850 he served as representative from South Carolina, secretary of war, vice president, secretary of state, and senator. During the same period he was twice contender for the presidency of the United States. From the beginning to the end of his career, Calhoun arrested public attention and influenced public opinion, having major influence on every issue of the period. A champion of state rights, he is an important figure in the drama of expansion ad conflict that is at the heart of American history in the nineteenth-century.
632 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1951
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About the author
Margaret L. Coit
11 books2 followersMargaret Louise Coit ( Margaret Louise Elwell) (May 30, 1919 in Norwich, Connecticut - March 15, 2003 in Amesbury, Massachusetts)as an American historian who wrote on American history for both adults and children.
Coit was born in Connecticut to Archa Willoughby Coit, a stockbroker, and Grace Coit (née Trow), the principal of a private day school. Two years later, Margaret's sister Grace was born with Down Syndrome; caring for Grace would take up much of Coit's adult life.
(wikipedia)
Coit was born in Connecticut to Archa Willoughby Coit, a stockbroker, and Grace Coit (née Trow), the principal of a private day school. Two years later, Margaret's sister Grace was born with Down Syndrome; caring for Grace would take up much of Coit's adult life.
(wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 28, 2021
https://thebestbiographies.com/2021/0...
Published 100 years after Calhoun's death, Margaret Coit's "John C. Calhoun: American Portrait" won the 1951 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. Coit was an author and historian also known for her biography of financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch. She died in 2003 at the age of 83.
The product of almost a decade of research (which immediately followed her graduation from college), Coit's biography was sparked by her long-time fascination with Calhoun. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that this proves a decidedly sympathetic, though not uncritical, exploration of his personal and political lives.
Modern readers will find Coit's writing style "dated" and occasionally a bit daunting, particularly in early chapters. But the biography is filled with lofty, soaring prose and countless colorful scenes which are more reminiscent of "Gone with the Wind" than a history text. Well before its halfway point, most readers will be fully entranced by the narrative and this biography might be stuffed with more clever one-liners than I've ever seen in one place.
Coit's observations - generally of Calhoun's political philosophies and activities, but also his personal life and personality - tend to be incredibly perceptive and deeply insightful. But some of her perspectives on the civil rights issues facing Calhoun are rooted in, and somewhat shaded by, her own era. Nevertheless, they are keen and thought-provoking even from our more enlightened point-of-view.
Among her many strengths, Coit is uncommonly skilled at studying people and making potent, penetrating observations of their actions and character. Her commentary on members of James Monroe's cabinet provides an early example of her witty distillations and her comparison of Jefferson Davis to Calhoun is both riveting and revealing.
The most interesting individual components of the book include Coit's review of the presidential campaign of 1824, a noteworthy introduction to Nicholas Biddle (president of the Second Bank of the United States) and a particularly entertaining discussion of the break between Calhoun and Andrew Jackson and their lingering hatred of each other.
But while this is among the most compelling of the two-dozen Pulitzer Prize-winning biographies I've read, it is not without noticeable flaws. The most obvious of these is Coit's fondness for her subject. At various points in the book Calhoun is portrayed as too heroic, patriotic or brilliant. For his zealous defense of slavery, Calhoun is almost canonized. And James Monroe and John Quincy Adams would be surprised to know how much of the credit for the Monroe Doctrine Calhoun is due.
Coit also occasionally accepts apocryphal anecdotes as fact and one gets the sense that some of the early narrative is imputed - describing, without evidence, what might have happened almost as though it did. Combined with an ability to describe scenes with a grandiose flair, some of the book's early passages feel a bit like historical fiction.
Finally, there are curious misspellings to be found including the name of an early James Madison biographer (Sydney Gay) and, with startling consistency throughout the book, the first name of Madison's wife (Dolley).
Overall, Margaret Coit's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography "John C. Calhoun: American Portrait" is a lively, colorful and often masterful examination of the personal and political lives of an important American statesman. While its writing style can be an acquired taste, readers with modest perseverance - or an interest in America's antebellum political scene - will find this biography unusually engaging, informative and thought-provoking.
Overall rating: 4¼ stars
Published 100 years after Calhoun's death, Margaret Coit's "John C. Calhoun: American Portrait" won the 1951 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. Coit was an author and historian also known for her biography of financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch. She died in 2003 at the age of 83.
The product of almost a decade of research (which immediately followed her graduation from college), Coit's biography was sparked by her long-time fascination with Calhoun. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that this proves a decidedly sympathetic, though not uncritical, exploration of his personal and political lives.
Modern readers will find Coit's writing style "dated" and occasionally a bit daunting, particularly in early chapters. But the biography is filled with lofty, soaring prose and countless colorful scenes which are more reminiscent of "Gone with the Wind" than a history text. Well before its halfway point, most readers will be fully entranced by the narrative and this biography might be stuffed with more clever one-liners than I've ever seen in one place.
Coit's observations - generally of Calhoun's political philosophies and activities, but also his personal life and personality - tend to be incredibly perceptive and deeply insightful. But some of her perspectives on the civil rights issues facing Calhoun are rooted in, and somewhat shaded by, her own era. Nevertheless, they are keen and thought-provoking even from our more enlightened point-of-view.
Among her many strengths, Coit is uncommonly skilled at studying people and making potent, penetrating observations of their actions and character. Her commentary on members of James Monroe's cabinet provides an early example of her witty distillations and her comparison of Jefferson Davis to Calhoun is both riveting and revealing.
The most interesting individual components of the book include Coit's review of the presidential campaign of 1824, a noteworthy introduction to Nicholas Biddle (president of the Second Bank of the United States) and a particularly entertaining discussion of the break between Calhoun and Andrew Jackson and their lingering hatred of each other.
But while this is among the most compelling of the two-dozen Pulitzer Prize-winning biographies I've read, it is not without noticeable flaws. The most obvious of these is Coit's fondness for her subject. At various points in the book Calhoun is portrayed as too heroic, patriotic or brilliant. For his zealous defense of slavery, Calhoun is almost canonized. And James Monroe and John Quincy Adams would be surprised to know how much of the credit for the Monroe Doctrine Calhoun is due.
Coit also occasionally accepts apocryphal anecdotes as fact and one gets the sense that some of the early narrative is imputed - describing, without evidence, what might have happened almost as though it did. Combined with an ability to describe scenes with a grandiose flair, some of the book's early passages feel a bit like historical fiction.
Finally, there are curious misspellings to be found including the name of an early James Madison biographer (Sydney Gay) and, with startling consistency throughout the book, the first name of Madison's wife (Dolley).
Overall, Margaret Coit's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography "John C. Calhoun: American Portrait" is a lively, colorful and often masterful examination of the personal and political lives of an important American statesman. While its writing style can be an acquired taste, readers with modest perseverance - or an interest in America's antebellum political scene - will find this biography unusually engaging, informative and thought-provoking.
Overall rating: 4¼ stars
August 10, 2018
This monumental biography of John Caldwell Calhoun illustrates a dying art in American historical writing, in which the grandness of the subject is treated with equally grand prose. Margaret L. Coit sings of the exploits of an epic figure in American history with sufficiently epic style and has produced a masterpiece of classic history.
From the humble origins of his family to the indelible mark he left upon the troubled American Union, Coit captures the full sweep of Calhoun's life, from his intimate moments with family to his electrifying addresses before the nation. In this approach Coit harkens to a more traditional style of American biography; if some scenes are imagined for effect or anecdotes of dubious provenance are inserted, they are only meant to emphasize the mythic scope of the personage under consideration.
Such an approach is anathema to modern scholarship, which would also find fault with the lack of social context provided in this work; Calhoun is the sole consideration of the author and long discourses on the times in which he lived are largely absent: Coit frames Calhoun in his time but does not feel the need to excoriate that time. If anything, she is able to paint a better picture of America by illustrating how Calhoun represented it than how it shaped him. Modern readers will likely be especially put off by Coit's assessment of Calhoun's views on race and slavery, which she largely accepts without comment as just another example of his perspective on the world.
I would highly recommend John C. Calhoun: American Portrait for anyone looking for a dense and beautifully written biography of a major American figure.
From the humble origins of his family to the indelible mark he left upon the troubled American Union, Coit captures the full sweep of Calhoun's life, from his intimate moments with family to his electrifying addresses before the nation. In this approach Coit harkens to a more traditional style of American biography; if some scenes are imagined for effect or anecdotes of dubious provenance are inserted, they are only meant to emphasize the mythic scope of the personage under consideration.
Such an approach is anathema to modern scholarship, which would also find fault with the lack of social context provided in this work; Calhoun is the sole consideration of the author and long discourses on the times in which he lived are largely absent: Coit frames Calhoun in his time but does not feel the need to excoriate that time. If anything, she is able to paint a better picture of America by illustrating how Calhoun represented it than how it shaped him. Modern readers will likely be especially put off by Coit's assessment of Calhoun's views on race and slavery, which she largely accepts without comment as just another example of his perspective on the world.
I would highly recommend John C. Calhoun: American Portrait for anyone looking for a dense and beautifully written biography of a major American figure.
January 14, 2025
A pulitzer-prize winning biography that has the added advantage of having been written in 1950. Margaret Coit did a remarkable job of dispassionately probing the issues and ideas that dominated Calhoun's career without slighting the personal details of Calhoun's life and his day-to-day realities. The last chapter takes up Calhoun's two main written works and is worth reading by itself.
"He had been a statesman, not a politician; his task had been to lead, not to follow, public opinion; to sacrifice himself 'for the people, not to them.' Of humble origin, he had held aloft the aristocratic ideal; not the aristocracy of accident of birth, or of wealth; but the aristocracy of brains and strength and character, which few could reach, but toward which all could aspire."
"He had been a statesman, not a politician; his task had been to lead, not to follow, public opinion; to sacrifice himself 'for the people, not to them.' Of humble origin, he had held aloft the aristocratic ideal; not the aristocracy of accident of birth, or of wealth; but the aristocracy of brains and strength and character, which few could reach, but toward which all could aspire."
August 30, 2024
It is no wonder that Margaret Coit won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1951 with her biography on John C Calhoun. This was probably the most unique biography I have read to date. Coit boldly asserts the very thoughts of her subject throughout this biography as if she herself were inside his mind taking notes as he processed the political world around him. This might normally detract from a biography as being presumptuous and narrow-minded so as to fit the subject to the biographer’s mold, except that her assertions are so convincing that one can’t help but believe that her version of Calhoun IS indeed Calhoun as he truly was.
Her prose has a distinct romanticized storytelling about it that should feel contrived but that actually works very well for her. She waxes eloquent on the 19th century world of South Carolina; describing smells, tastes, landscapes, textures, clothing, bedding, illness, and social settings. Yet none of this distracts from the actual history itself. She spends ample time exploring Calhoun’s political philosophy and its origins, the countless showdowns in Congress, the explosive personalities of his time, and the complex and inflammatory issues of his day.
However, by the time the history gets to the nullification crisis and the progression of thought in Calhoun’s mind in regards to slavery things take an unsettling turn. Coit dedicates a chapter to how slavery was viewed and ultimately defended by Calhoun; a chapter which shows its age by today’s standards. Coit wrote this in 1950, even before MLK and the civil rights movement, and it shows. It may be the case that Coit is simply exploring the issue of slavery in the 1830s-1850s through the lens of Calhoun, but one can’t help but get the impression that there is a hint of justification in her analysis. It is at this point in the biography that her romanticized depictions of South Carolina are starkly juxtaposed to the evils of slavery occurring there that leave an unsettling impression on the readers mind.
To understand Calhoun is to understand the progression of Southern thought from the ratification of the Constitution to the start of the Civil War. Calhoun did not manufacture or disseminate this line of thinking in the South but rather articulated, and defended, what (the majority of) his Southern constituency was already thinking. In that sense Calhoun could be said to be a talented and even brilliant logician, but one who ultimately imbibed and regurgitated the prevailing thought of his culture without much originality.
Her prose has a distinct romanticized storytelling about it that should feel contrived but that actually works very well for her. She waxes eloquent on the 19th century world of South Carolina; describing smells, tastes, landscapes, textures, clothing, bedding, illness, and social settings. Yet none of this distracts from the actual history itself. She spends ample time exploring Calhoun’s political philosophy and its origins, the countless showdowns in Congress, the explosive personalities of his time, and the complex and inflammatory issues of his day.
However, by the time the history gets to the nullification crisis and the progression of thought in Calhoun’s mind in regards to slavery things take an unsettling turn. Coit dedicates a chapter to how slavery was viewed and ultimately defended by Calhoun; a chapter which shows its age by today’s standards. Coit wrote this in 1950, even before MLK and the civil rights movement, and it shows. It may be the case that Coit is simply exploring the issue of slavery in the 1830s-1850s through the lens of Calhoun, but one can’t help but get the impression that there is a hint of justification in her analysis. It is at this point in the biography that her romanticized depictions of South Carolina are starkly juxtaposed to the evils of slavery occurring there that leave an unsettling impression on the readers mind.
To understand Calhoun is to understand the progression of Southern thought from the ratification of the Constitution to the start of the Civil War. Calhoun did not manufacture or disseminate this line of thinking in the South but rather articulated, and defended, what (the majority of) his Southern constituency was already thinking. In that sense Calhoun could be said to be a talented and even brilliant logician, but one who ultimately imbibed and regurgitated the prevailing thought of his culture without much originality.
December 25, 2018
Definitely a biography for its times, - the pre-civil rights era. This is definitely a book that has not aged well both in substance and in execution. The book itself gives the impression of a Margaret Mitchell novel. With its generous use of adjectives, similes and metaphors it comes across as a love letter to John C. Calhoun.
Because the biography is written in a narrative style that often second guesses it’s characters motives, it Is not a book for those looking for a solid historical record of John C Calhoun. Biographer, Margaret Coit looks at Calhoun‘s life through the now defunct lens of the “Southern Lost Cause”.
However, the book is still worth a read/listen to understand the view points and biases of the time Coit write the book and and what historical narrative is people used to defend misguided viewpoints today. Similar to the way one would approach viewing DW Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” or “Intolerance.”
In his defense of slavery and arguing the repeal of trade tariffs, Calhoun was the Architect of “States Rights” and “Nullification” which has been picked up and used by the current right wing political movement. Reading Calhoun would be a good way to understand this movement better by tracing its roots, however there are better books on Calhoun out there.
Because the biography is written in a narrative style that often second guesses it’s characters motives, it Is not a book for those looking for a solid historical record of John C Calhoun. Biographer, Margaret Coit looks at Calhoun‘s life through the now defunct lens of the “Southern Lost Cause”.
However, the book is still worth a read/listen to understand the view points and biases of the time Coit write the book and and what historical narrative is people used to defend misguided viewpoints today. Similar to the way one would approach viewing DW Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” or “Intolerance.”
In his defense of slavery and arguing the repeal of trade tariffs, Calhoun was the Architect of “States Rights” and “Nullification” which has been picked up and used by the current right wing political movement. Reading Calhoun would be a good way to understand this movement better by tracing its roots, however there are better books on Calhoun out there.
July 29, 2016
I put this book aside after Chapter 5. It is fictional biography which substitutes adjectives and supposition for the elegant presentation of evidence. The author skillfully contextualizes and humanizes Calhoun but does not provide a nuanced exposition of his political philosophy or principled machinations.
January 8, 2019
Calhoun's ideas describe what lead to the Civil War and resonate today in the shadows of the Trump administration.
November 7, 2018
The best biography on Calhoun.
November 30, 2018
Love this book
July 16, 2025
I was pleasantly surprised. After reading many histories of the Civil War, this helped me to (begin to) see the Southern point of view.
August 11, 2015
First off, I listened this book with the narration by Charlton Griffin. Part of the charm of this book was that the voice and diction of the narrator seemed perfectly matched with charm of Coit's language.
Calhoun is one of the most important American politicians who never became President. And I had been reading a lot about him in other biographies and histories and so I thought it would be good to tackle him directly.
This book is definitely dated, a history published in the early 1950s when historical standards were different than today. For example, she writes in much more of a narrative approach, making it seem like the events she described happened as she tells him (another reviewer described this as historical fiction--which I think isn't fair). So she isn't great at describing the limits of the historical information and data that she is accessing. Another fault is that she is certainly a partisan for Calhoun, often explaining away and perhaps not defending his views but rationalizing them given the circumstances of the day. I think a modern biography would be much harsher on Calhoun for his treatment of the slavery issue and his support of nullification.
Having said all that, the book is really charming to read (or to listen to in my case). Her appreciation for Calhoun and her description of South Carolina make the book very interesting. And her language has a poetry about it that contemporary histories tend to lack. Calhoun is portrayed as a brilliant thinker who fought for a lost cause.
I think it would be good to pair this book with a more contemporary account of Calhoun but I found this book to be very engaging.
Calhoun is one of the most important American politicians who never became President. And I had been reading a lot about him in other biographies and histories and so I thought it would be good to tackle him directly.
This book is definitely dated, a history published in the early 1950s when historical standards were different than today. For example, she writes in much more of a narrative approach, making it seem like the events she described happened as she tells him (another reviewer described this as historical fiction--which I think isn't fair). So she isn't great at describing the limits of the historical information and data that she is accessing. Another fault is that she is certainly a partisan for Calhoun, often explaining away and perhaps not defending his views but rationalizing them given the circumstances of the day. I think a modern biography would be much harsher on Calhoun for his treatment of the slavery issue and his support of nullification.
Having said all that, the book is really charming to read (or to listen to in my case). Her appreciation for Calhoun and her description of South Carolina make the book very interesting. And her language has a poetry about it that contemporary histories tend to lack. Calhoun is portrayed as a brilliant thinker who fought for a lost cause.
I think it would be good to pair this book with a more contemporary account of Calhoun but I found this book to be very engaging.
August 14, 2015
While not as in-depth and critical at times as I would have liked, for a one volume biography of such a complicated figure as John C Calhoun, I feel that Coit did a good job of hitting all of the high notes and helping the reader get a good feel for Calhoun. In particular, her analysis of Calhoun's 'transition' from being a nationalist to a secessionist was well done with Coit positing through her analysis that the development of his ideas was more seamless than is sometimes described in works on Calhoun. Overall, the reader is left with an understanding of Calhoun as a complicated intellectual who unfortunately utilized his abilities to further the cause of slavery and was indirectly culpable in the dissolution of the Union.
May 2, 2022
A lyrical, engaging biography of a tyrannical racist. Coit's clear admiration, bordering on veneration, for this defender of slavery as a public good is off-putting enough to spoil the reading experience.
February 3, 2016
I learned a lot about the times in which Calhoun lived...for good and bad!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews