Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1993. [Vol. 1.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 21)

STUDIES - András Tamóc: The Politics of a Cast-Iron Man. John C. Calhoun and His Views on Government.

percent by 1842. Although South Carolina preferred even lower rates, Charleston withdrew the nullification ordinance. When the legislative stalemate was broken, the South declared victory and hailed Calhoun as the nation's savior.

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4 John C. Calhoun's political socialization process was instrumental in the formation of the nullification theory. Political socialization, an individual's preparation for participation in a given political culture, can be studied from several vantage points. According to David Easton and Jack Dennis' systems' concept, political orientation develops in a generational framework. Politically socialized persons offer two types of support to their government: specific and diffuse allegiance. Specific support is given in return to a government's ability to satisfy one's economic and political needs. Diffuse support, on the other hand, is independent of private conviction. It is based on general loyalty to a nation.

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5 Calhoun extended specific support to his state and region. As a slave holder and plantation owner he could have realized his material goals exclusively below the Mason-Dixon line. While he was immensely dissatisfied with the Union, he fervently fought for its integrity, offering diffuse support to the Constitution and to the United States. Political socialization is based on the work of primary and secondary agents. The former group includes family background, school experiences, and peer relations.

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6 Patrick Calhoun played a dominant role in shaping his son's political philosophy. He was an Irish immigrant brought up in the Manichean perspective of Calvinistic Presbyterianism. He viewed life as a continuous battle of good against evil, limiting himself to a perpetually dualist mindset. He was never without enemies to fight or burdens to bear. The Western frontier with its constant Indian attacks and obligatory natural disasters 1

4 Richard Hofstadter, The American Political Tradition (New York: W. W. Norton, 1965), p. 94. 1

5 Fred R. Harris, America's Democracy (Glenview: Scott-Foresman Co., 1986), p. 183. 1

6 Ibid., p. 184. 95