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Period: to
Pre Civil War
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Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts took away the citizens first amendment rights . It was designed to raise the amount of years necessary to become an American citizen to 14 years. Any words against the government were considered a felony. The reason it was not destroyed outright was because the Judicial Review had not been set up yet. -
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
These resolutions were in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts. They declared the Acts unconstitutional. The resolutions stated that states have the power to declare acts of congress unconstitutional. The Kentucky Resolution said that when the state decides it is unconstitutional that they have the right to nullify it. All of the arguments challanged thw powers of state governments versus power of the federeal government. Later these would be used to create a rift between the South and North. -
United States v. Peters
Pennsylvania tried to nullify the federal court's judgement. This was the first instance of nullification of federal powers by states that the Supreme Court dealt with. The Supreme Court ruled that the States couldn't just claim federal laws null and void. -
Georgia vs. Cherokee
In the 1820's Georgia passed laws making all Native American Cherokee laws all void. There were already federal treaties with Cherokee nation. The state nullified those treaties. -
Tariff of 1828
This tariff helped the industrial part of the Northern states. It imposed taxes on goods. However, this made the market smaller since other countries didn't want ot pay higher prices. South plantations were affected since the loss of buisness directly impacted their income. -
South Carolina Exposition and Protest
South Carolina Exposition and Protest was an essay written by John C. Calhoun, the Vice President at the time. He believed that the tariff of 1828 was unconstitutional. His argument was that the state has the power to judge the extent of its powers and the roles between state and federal government. -
Worcester vs. Georgia
The Supreme Court reviewed Georgia's actions in this case. The state put forth that the federal government had no right to intervene because it was in violation of the tenth Amendment. The Court's ruling was Georgia was being unconstituional. -
Tariff of 1832
The tariff was designed to reduce the power of past tariffs. Specifically, the tariff of 1828 after many Southerners were enraged by it. However, the tariff of 1832 did little to help with the problem. -
Jackson's Proclamation to the People of South Carolina
Andrew Jackson spoke this proclamation to calm down people during the Nullification Crisis. He tried to say once and for all that states cannot nullify federal laws. Jackson focused on the power of the Union and was scared that the idea of nullification splitting the nation. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
All slaves that run away must be captured and returned promptly to their masters. That was the content of this Act. Prior to this people didn't have to bring back captured slaves, as some states were not slave states. This Act was federal and forced even non-slave states to cooperate. -
Ruling of Fugitive Slave Act
Wisconsin's Supreme Court ruling in 1854 that the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was unconstitutional.This was a response to the Fugitive Slave Act that was essentially nullification. The state didn't have to follow the federal law as the state supreme court ruled it was unconsitutional. -
Ableman v. Booth
In 1859 in Ableman v. Booth the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the state court. Again, the state's power was limited by federal government powers. -
Nulification brought up for last time
In Jefferson Davis farewell address to the Senate in 1861, he directly addressed the issue of nullification of fugitive slave laws by northern states, believing that the concept was the opposite of secession of the states. The Southern states thought that the Northern states were being unconstitutional so they seceded.
