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Table of Contents
The Nullification Crisis was caused by the enacted protective tariffs, which were deemed unconstitutional by the Southerners. John C. Calhoun, US Vice President from the South, anonymously penned the “South Carolina Exposition and Protest,” which aimed to nullify the imposed tariffs.
For more information on the Nullification Crisis read the fact file below or download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Facts & Information
The Nullification Crisis
- The political term “nullification” refers to canceling or voiding federal laws by the state’s power. Nullification can be used to override an existing act or law.
- Senator Robert Hayne of South Carolina and Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts heated the debate in Congress with their opposing stand on Calhoun’s document. In 1930, Webster conveyed his remarkable speech before Congress.
“… the people’s constitution, the people’s government; made by the people and answerable to the people. The people have declared that this constitution… shall be the supreme law.” The Supreme Court of the United States alone could only declare a national law to be unconstitutional; no state could do that. Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable.”
- The 1830 speech of Daniel Webster is considered one of the most famous speeches in the history of Congress.
- The Nullification Crisis was caused by the tariff acts imposed by the federal government. Originally, the tariffs were considered “protective” in nature, and tariffs are the taxes levied on foreign goods or imported products.
- Calhoun admitted the authorship of the Exposition and Protest during the Nullification Crisis. He was the first US Vice President to resign as a form of protest against President Jackson and led the South Carolina Legislature.
- The Nullification Crisis was considered the first sectional conflict between the states of the north and south. The demarcation line on issues of slavery soon led to the American Civil War in 1861.
Background
- The issue on the distribution of authority between the state and federal governments caused a political and ideological discussion in the Civil War that took effect even after.
- In early 1790s, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson debated whether nationalistic or democratic agrarian programs were better.
- The debate resulted in two opposing national political parties being formed.
- In the late 1790s, the state’s rights position was articulated in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, written by Jefferson and Hamilton’s co-leader James Madison.
Doctrine of Nullification
- The Doctrine of Nullification was introduced by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson in 1798 and 1799. Their Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were examples of the Doctrine of Nullification.
- The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were drafts of political statements written by the legislatures in 1798 and 1799 in which they claimed that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional.
- The resolutions state that if the Constitution does not authorize Congress acts, the states must declare them unconstitutional.
- As they were given the right to do so, the states were required to construct the Constitution strictly.
- The Kentucky Resolutions were frequently cited as justification for both nullification and secession. It states that if the delegated powers are abused, the people will be able to choose the members of the general government. If, on the other hand, the undelegated powers are assumed, the act must be nullified. The State was also mentioned as having the authority to nullify all assumptions of power within its boundaries.
- Similarly, the Virginia Resolutions states that if a deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exercise of powers not granted by the Federal Compact occurs, the state has the right to arrest the violator.
Tarrifs
- In 1816, the Tariff with some protective features received widespread support across the country. South Carolinians John C. Calhoun and William Lowndes were two of the famous people who supported it.
- Henry Clay’s Tariff of 1824 was the first protective tariff tied to a specific program of internal improvements. This tariff increased duties on iron, woolens, cotton, hemp, wool, and cotton bagging by 35% ad valorem.
- The federal House approved the bill of Representatives with only five winning votes. On March 25, 1824, the bill was signed by the Senate.
- In 1826 and 1827, protests against the prospect and constitutionality of higher tariffs started. The Virginia legislature was forced to pass resolutions denying Congress the authority to impose protective tariffs.
- Martin Van Buren was mainly responsible for the passage of a tariff in 1828. One of its goals was to elect Andrew Jackson to the presidency. It was passed with the help of pro-Jackson members of Congress.
- According to Van Buren’s calculations, the South would support Jackson while New England would not. As a result, the bill imposed heavy taxes on goods consumed by the opposing party.
- For the sake of Pennsylvania, an additional tariff on iron was imposed. With these acts, Van Buren hoped that Pennsylvania, along with New York, Missouri, Ohio, and Kentucky, would vote in Jackson’s favor.
- The entire South backed Jackson and Calhoun. However, when Jackson failed to launch a strong attack on the tariff in his first two annual messages to Congress, many Southerners were unsatisfied.
End of the Crisis
- An ordinance declared that the tariff acts of 1828 and 1832, as written by the South Carolina convention on November 24, 1832, were unconstitutional.
- On December 10, 1832, President Jackson issued the Nullification Proclamation, a proclamation to South Carolinians opposing the states’ right to nullify federal law.
- Under Calhoun’s leadership, the nullifiers recognized how Southern farmers were exploited to benefit the Northern manufacturing industry.
- The proclamation was followed by the passage of the Force Act by Congress. It authorizes the use of military force against any state that fails to comply with the tariff acts.
- The following year, Henry Clay aided in the passage of legislation that would lower tariffs in the coming decades.
- It was dubbed the Compromise Tariff of 1833. South Carolina accepted it, and the nullification crisis was over.
Aftermath
- On May 1, 1833, President Jackson predicted that the tariff would cause discord in the South and that it would be preceded by the issue of slavery.
- A Jackson biographer, Robert V. Remini, described how the South opposed nullification. According to him, some legislatures, such as Alabama’s, saw it as not being soundly theorized while being dangerously practiced. Meanwhile, it was mischievous, rash, and revolutionary based on a remark made by Georgia, while Mississippi lawmakers criticized South Carolinians’ actions.
- Forrest McDonald described the nullification argument as unrelated to the state’s defiance of federal authority.
- When the nullification crisis ended, Southerners doubted if their interests were still represented by the Jacksonian Democrats. According to historian William J. Cooper Jr., Southerners saw the Democrats as something ready to attack them rather than defend them.
- In the South, the end of nullification gave birth to the Whig Party. It was a coalition of those who opposed Jackson, particularly his views on federal and executive power.
- Former National Republicans and nullifiers made up the party. They were more concerned with Southerners than Democrats were.
- The Whig Party and the Democrats sparred over defending Southern institutions. It produced complexities in the distinctions between free soil and abolitionism. The issue grew with the Mexican War and territorial expansion not becoming part of the political dialogue in the late 1840s.
- The end of the crisis, according to Richard Ellis, posed a challenge to the usually desired government. By the 1850s, the state’s rights were centered on equality under the Constitution.
- South Carolina was divided and isolated as a result of the crisis. It was more internally united by 1860 when it became the first state to secede.
Nullification Crisis Worksheets
This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use Nullification Crisis Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about The Nullification Crisis which was caused by the enacted protective tariffs, which were deemed unconstitutional by the Southerners.
Download includes the following worksheets:
- Nullification Crisis Facts
- Political Figures
- All About Tariffs
- John C. Calhoun and the South
- Pin Me!
- Federal Government v. States
- Time Crisis
- Political Cartoon Analysis
- Hear My Speech
- Nullification Crisis Comics
- Importance of Compromise
Frequently Asked Questions
What is meant by “nullification”?
The political term “nullification” refers to the act of canceling or voiding federal laws by the power of the state. Nullification can be used to override an existing act or law.
What are the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions?
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, an example of Doctrine of Nullification, were drafts of political statements written by the legislatures in 1798 and 1799 in which they claimed that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional.
How did the Nullification Crisis lead to a civil war?
The Nullification Crisis was considered the first sectional conflict between the states of the north and south. The demarcation line on issues of slavery soon led to the American Civil War in 1861.
How did the nullification crisis end?
Henry Clay aided in the passage of legislation that would lower tariffs in the coming decades. It was dubbed the Compromise Tariff of 1833. South Carolina accepted it, and the nullification crisis was over.
What was the most notable effect of the Nullification Crisis?
In the South, the end of nullification gave birth to the Whig Party. It was a coalition of those who opposed Jackson, particularly his views on federal and executive power.
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