John C. Calhoun of South Carolina was a prominent political figure in the early to mid-19th century, and he is often associated with the doctrine of nullification, which held that states had the right to nullify federal laws that they deemed unconstitutional. Calhoun was a strong advocate of states' rights and believed that the federal government should have limited powers.
Calhoun argued that the federal government should only have powers that were explicitly granted to it by the Constitution, and that any powers not specifically delegated to the federal government should be reserved for the states. He believed that the states were sovereign entities with the right to govern themselves and protect their own interests.
Calhoun's views on the power of the federal government were shaped by his opposition to the Tariff of Abominations, which he believed unfairly favored Northern manufacturers at the expense of Southern agricultural interests. He argued that the federal government had overstepped its bounds by imposing the tariff, and that the states had the right to nullify the law if they deemed it unconstitutional.
Overall, Calhoun believed that the power of the federal government should be limited, and that the states should have greater autonomy to govern themselves. His ideas had a significant impact on the development of American political thought and continue to be debated to this day.