Jonah Patel
The Nullification Crisis of 1832 was a pivotal moment in American history, representing the first time that tensions between state and federal authority almost led to civil war. The crisis was ostensibly about South Carolina's refusal to collect federal tariffs, but historians believe it was rooted in Southern fears of the North's movement towards abolishing slavery. The crisis began when members of Congress who supported higher tariffs ignored the complaints of the Southern states and reenacted the tariff. In response, South Carolina adopted the Ordinance of Nullification, declaring the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 null and void within its boundaries and threatening secession. This triggered a debate over the power of the Constitution, with President Andrew Jackson asserting the supremacy of the federal government and declaring that states did not have the right of nullification.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 1832-1833 |
| US President | Andrew Jackson |
| US State | South Carolina |
| Federal Law | Tariff of 1828 and 1832 |
| State Action | Ordinance of Nullification |
| Federal Response | Nullification Proclamation |
| Compromise | Force Bill |
| Outcome | Secession avoided, Union preserved |
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What You'll Learn
South Carolina's refusal to collect federal tariffs
The Nullification Crisis of 1832–1833 was a sectional political crisis in the United States that involved a confrontation between the state of South Carolina and the federal government. The crisis was ostensibly about South Carolina's refusal to collect federal tariffs, but historians believe it was rooted in growing Southern fears over the movement in the North for the abolition of slavery.
The crisis began with the passage of the Tariff of 1828, also known as the Tariff of Abominations, which was highly controversial and protective. It was enacted into law during the presidency of John Quincy Adams, and it was strongly opposed in the South. The tariff put an unfair tax burden on the Southern agrarian states that imported most manufactured goods. In response to the lobbying of northern manufacturers, the Tariff of 1828 sought to protect American industry from foreign competition by artificially increasing the prices of foreign goods to give a competitive advantage to domestic industries.
Despite fierce political opposition, President Adams signed the tariff bill into law, which led to Andrew Jackson winning the 1828 presidential election. In December 1828, Vice President John C. Calhoun of South Carolina published the South Carolina Exposition and Protest, responding to the 1828 tariff and setting forth arguments in favor of state nullification of federal laws. Calhoun asserted that states had the right to decide on the constitutionality of protective tariffs and to reject federal laws within their borders. He viewed the United States as a partnership of sovereign states, with the federal government acting as an agent with delegated powers.
When the Tariff of 1832 only slightly modified the Tariff of 1828, the South Carolina legislature decided to put Calhoun’s nullification theory into practice. In July 1832, President Jackson signed the Tariff of 1832 into law, but this did not satisfy South Carolina, and they continued to threaten nullification. In November 1832, a state convention adopted the Ordinance of Nullification, declaring the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 unconstitutional and unenforceable in South Carolina after February 1, 1833. The convention also threatened secession if the federal government tried to collect tariff duties by force.
In response to the crisis, President Jackson asserted the supremacy of the federal government and declared that states did not have the right of nullification. In 1833, Congress passed the Force Bill, authorizing the use of military force against South Carolina, and a new negotiated tariff, the Compromise Tariff of 1833, which was satisfactory to South Carolina. The South Carolina convention reconvened and repealed its Nullification Ordinance, thus ending the crisis.
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Southern fears over abolition of slavery
The Nullification Crisis was a sectional political crisis in the United States in 1832 and 1833, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. It involved a confrontation between the state of South Carolina and the federal government. It ensued after South Carolina declared the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 unconstitutional and therefore null and void within the state.
However, many historians believe that the crisis was actually rooted in growing Southern fears over the movement in the North for the abolition of slavery. Southerners' fears about the abolition of slavery were multi-faceted and were shared by both slave owners and non-slave owners. Firstly, slavery formed the foundation of the Southern economy, and many feared that its destruction would bring about economic turmoil. By 1850, the Southern states were responsible for producing 80% of the world's cotton, most of which was harvested by slaves. The idea of replacing unpaid slaves with paid labour was an unimaginable economic transformation that plantation owners feared.
Secondly, Southern whites enjoyed an unquestioned position of superiority over their black slaves. Some Southerners worried that if slavery were abolished, the two groups would intermingle and form sexual relationships, leading to the destruction of the white race's superior status in the South. This fear was articulated by Hale, who argued that secession was the only means by which the "heaven-ordained superiority of the white over the black race" could be sustained. The abolition of slavery, he argued, would either plunge the South into a race war or contaminate the blood of the white race.
Thirdly, Southerners were concerned about the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. Although Lincoln repeatedly said he would not interfere with slavery where it existed, he adamantly opposed its expansion into territories where it did not. Southern slave owners were determined that they had to be free to take their slaves with them if they moved into those territories.
Finally, Southerners also feared that the abolition of slavery would lead to anarchy and chaos in the region. Events like the Nat Turner slave revolt terrified Southern whites and led them to believe that freed slaves would bring about social disorder. This fear was realised after the Civil War, when Southern legislatures quickly enacted "Black Codes" to restrict the behaviours of freed slaves.
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The Tariff of Abominations
The Nullification Crisis was temporarily resolved through compromise and the reaffirmation of executive authority, with South Carolina eventually accepting a reduced tariff in the winter of 1833. However, the crisis laid the groundwork for the secession theory that reemerged in the 1850s and highlighted the growing tensions between the North and the South over the issue of slavery.
In summary, the Tariff of Abominations was a highly controversial protective tariff that sparked the Nullification Crisis, a pivotal moment in American history that almost led to a civil war. The crisis was driven by Southern opposition to the tariff, fears of growing movements in the North for the abolition of slavery, and the assertion of states' rights. Ultimately, a compromise was reached, but the tensions between state and federal authority remained and continued to shape American history.
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State and federal sovereignty
The Nullification Crisis of 1832 was a conflict between the state of South Carolina and the federal government of the United States. It was a pivotal moment in American history, as it represented the first time that tensions between state and federal authority almost led to a civil war. The crisis was ostensibly about South Carolina's refusal to collect federal tariffs, but many historians believe it was rooted in growing Southern fears over the movement in the North for the abolition of slavery.
The crisis began when members of Congress who supported higher tariffs ignored the complaints of the southern states and reenacted the Tariff of 1828, also known as the Tariff of Abominations. This tariff had a profound economic impact on the southern states, as it drastically increased duties on raw materials by 30 to 50 percent, protecting the interests of the northern and western states. In response, the political elite of South Carolina called a state convention that adopted the Ordinance of Nullification, declaring the tariff of 1828 and the subsequent Tariff of 1832 to be null and void within the state.
The Ordinance of Nullification, secretly drafted by Vice President John C. Calhoun, asserted the right of states to nullify federal laws that they deemed unconstitutional. Calhoun's nullification theory proposed that a "concurrent majority"—the people of a state having veto power over federal actions—would protect minority rights from the possible tyranny of the numerical majority. This theory was supported by South Carolina politician John C. Calhoun, who argued that the U.S. Constitution gave states the right to block the enforcement of federal laws.
The nullification crisis thus sparked a debate over state and federal sovereignty, with South Carolina threatening to secede from the union if the federal government attempted to enforce the tariffs. U.S. President Andrew Jackson, a proponent of states' rights, responded with his own proclamation, asserting the supremacy of the federal government and declaring that states did not have the right of nullification. He stated that "disunion by armed force is treason" and that the power to annul a federal law assumed by one state was "incompatible with the existence of the Union".
The crisis was eventually resolved through compromise and the reaffirmation of executive authority, with Congress passing a bill in 1833 that reduced tariffs and granted President Jackson the authority to collect import duties and use force if necessary. This compromise avoided a civil war, but the issue of state and federal sovereignty would continue to be a source of tension in the lead-up to the American Civil War.
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The Supremacy of the Federal Government
The Nullification Crisis of 1832-1833 was a conflict between the state of South Carolina and the federal government of the United States. It was a pivotal moment in American history, as it represented the first time that tensions between state and federal authority almost led to a civil war. The crisis was ostensibly about South Carolina's refusal to collect federal tariffs, but it was also rooted in growing Southern fears over the movement in the North for the abolition of slavery.
The crisis began when members of Congress who supported higher tariffs ignored the complaints of the southern states and reenacted the Tariff of 1828, also known as the Tariff of Abominations. This tariff had a profound economic impact on the southern states, as it increased duties on raw materials by 30 to 50 percent, while protecting the interests of the northern and western states. In response, the political elite of South Carolina called a state convention that adopted the Ordinance of Nullification, declaring the Tariff of 1828 and the Tariff of 1832 null and void within the state. The ordinance also prohibited the collection of any duties and threatened secession if any attempt was made to collect the tax from the federal government.
South Carolina's actions challenged the supremacy of the federal government and the authority of the Constitution over the states. In response, President Andrew Jackson, a supporter of states' rights, issued a proclamation asserting the supremacy of the federal government and declaring that states did not have the right of nullification. He stated that the power to annul a law of the United States assumed by one state was "incompatible with the existence of the Union, contradicted expressly by the letter of the Constitution, unauthorized by its spirit, inconsistent with every great principle on which it was formed, and destructive of the great object for which it was founded."
Jackson's solution enforced the Constitutional principle that the federal government had legislative authority over the states, while also alleviating tensions in South Carolina by lowering the import tariff. Both Jackson and South Carolina were satisfied with the results, and the compromise avoided a civil war. However, the crisis laid the groundwork for the secession theory that reemerged in the 1850s and ultimately led to the American Civil War.
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Frequently asked questions
The Nullification Crisis was a sectional political crisis in the United States in 1832 and 1833, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson.
The crisis was caused by a dispute over the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832, which South Carolina declared were unconstitutional and therefore null and void within the state.
The Tariff of 1828, also known as the Tariff of Abominations, was a highly controversial law that increased duties on raw materials by 30 to 50 percent. It was enacted to protect American industry from foreign competition but had a negative economic impact on the southern states, which relied heavily on cotton and tobacco production. The Tariff of 1832 made slight modifications to the Tariff of 1828 but was still seen as unfair by the Southern states.
South Carolina opposed the tariffs because they put an unfair tax burden on the Southern agrarian states that imported most manufactured goods. South Carolina also argued that the tariffs infringed on states' rights and violated the Constitution.
The Nullification Crisis was resolved through a compromise that reduced tariffs and alleviated tensions in South Carolina. This compromise enforced the Constitutional principle that the federal government had legislative authority over the states.
