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South Carolina Exposition and Protest
In December 1828, John C. Calhoun wrote South Carolina Exposition and Protest. In this, he declared that states had the right to nullify oppressive national legislation. -
Tariff of Abominations
This was a tariff on manufactured goods meant to protect new industries in New England, Ohio, and Pennsylvania from competition. It caused economic hardships in the South because farmers relied on importing cheaper European tools and exporting their goods. John C. Calhoun, South Carolina's leading politician voted to veto the tariff, calling it unconstitutional, and said states had the right to nullify oppressive laws. When the government used force, SC threatened to secede from the Union. -
Webster-Hayne Debate
Robert Y. Hayne, South Carolina Senator, and Daniel Webster, Massachusetts Senator, debated the issues of public land policy, western expansion, and slavery. Hayne believed states had the right to declare laws null and void within their borders because otherwise, the federal government would be one without limits. Webster believed that states can not nullify constitutional laws because the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and the country should value the Union and Liberty equally. -
Ordinance of Nullification
Even though Jackson signed a bill that lowered the tariff in 1832, South Carolina was still not happy, so the state adopted the Ordinance. It declared the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 null and void within the South Carolina borders. They also passed laws to enforce the ordinance, including the authority to raise a military force. This was the first attempt at nullification by a state. -
Jakckson's Proclamation
In response to South Carolina's nullification attempt, President Jackson sent seven small naval ships and a man-of-war to Charleston, and on December 10, he issued a proclamation declaring that South Carolina was on the edge of treason. He asked the people of the state to reassert their allegiance to the Union. Finally, he made it known that if it was necessary, he would use the U.S. Army to enforce the law. -
Compromise Tariff of 1833
Senator Henry Clay, who was Jackson's political rival, supported a compromise tax. Clay's tariff bill said that all taxes more than 20% of the value of the good were to be reduced year by year, meaning that by 1842, the taxes on all articles would be back to the tariff of 1816. The bill was quickly passed in 1833. -
Force Act of 1833
The Force Act of 1833 gave the president, Andrew Jackson at the time, permission to use military power to enforce laws. It was passed because there were some states, particularly South Carolina, who were not obeying the tariff.
