The Text's Authors Observe That During the Debate in 1850

Essay

The text's authors observe that during the debate in 1850 on slavery and newly acquired territories from the Mexican War, John C. Calhoun, hoping to save the Union, proposed "an utterly unworkable scheme of electing two presidents, one from the North and one from the South, each wielding a veto." Explain why such an arrangement would have been "utterly unworkable," particularly in light of the contemporary political conflict over slavery, its westward territorial expansion, the strong political support for slavery's indefinite legal perpetuation in the South, and the fierce debate in the country overall concerning foreign policy issues related to Manifest Destiny.