National Interest Over Idealism: John C. Calhoun in British Newspapers

“National Interest Over Idealism: John C. Calhoun in British Newspapers” is an examination of John C. Calhoun’s treatment in the newspapers of Great Britain and Ireland during the statesman’s career. The thesis concludes that national interest best explained the British and Irish press’s varied attitudes towards Calhoun. For instance, British newspapers tended to praise Calhoun when his foreign policy proposals dovetailed with British imperial interests and tended to denigrate Calhoun when their interests conflicted. Irish newspapers, meanwhile, tended to praise Calhoun, often based on a sense of shared culture heritage.