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South Carolina Exposition and Protest (Calhoun's protest)
This protest presented the right that states could nullify any laws they disagreed with from the federal government. Calhoun explained why South Carolina would resist the law, claiming it was unconstitutional. He presented the idea that states could resist the federal law and that the state would not enforce the tariff of 1828. This led to a whole new controversy during the 1820s. -
Tariff of 1828 (Tariff of Abominations)
The Tariff of 1828, otherwise known as the Tariff of Abominations, by the Southerners, raised taxes on manufacturers who imported goods to reduce outside competition. This heavily upset Southerners because they believed only the North benefited and it made the South poorer. This was because the South generally relied on agriculture and was not as modern as the North. The tariff was very unpopular and it raged South Carolina leaders, leading them to threaten to nullify the law or succeed. -
Tariff of 1832
The Tariff Act of 1832 was placed as an attempt to ease the Southerner's grievances. This act simply lowered the "protective measures" of the last tariff, the Tariff of 1829. It did not ease any tensions, in fact, it angered Southerners more leading to the Ordinance of Nullification. -
Ordinance of Nullification
After a lot of debating, the Ordinance of Nullification was passed by the state of South Carolina, declaring that the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were null and void. Southerners even threatened to succeed the country because they believed the tariffs were unconstitutional. This ordinance lead to a bigger question, did states have the right to nullify federal laws? -
Proclamation to people of SC
The Proclamation of SC was a response to South Carolina from President Andrew Jackson. In this proclamation, he emphasized multiple times that nullifying the federal law was unconstitutional. He also mentioned that the government of South Carolina was deceiving its people making them think that they would respectfully protest, but SC's intentions were different. South Carolina planned on using military forces to rule out the law. His address was to the people so he could get their support. -
Force Bill
The Force Bill was passed by Congress, it gave the right for the president to use military forces when states refused to obey federal tariffs. In response to this, South Carolina also declared the Force Bill null and void. This showed how little importance South Carolina had towards the laws the federal government was passing. -
Clay's Tariff Bill of 1833
This Bill was a compromise written by Clay. It stated that tariff rates above 20% would be reduced. In all, this bill ended the Nullification Crisis. It helped to improve American manufacturing and it increased the economic situation.