Nullification+Crisis

//The Nullification Crisis//


 * //"The Government of the absolute majority instead of the Government of the people is but the Government of the strongest interests; and when not efficiently checked, it is the most tyrannical and oppressive that can be devised."//-- John C. Calhoun, Speech to the U.S. Senate (15 February 1833)
 * "//The wisdom of man never yet contrived a system of taxation that would operate with perfect equality//." -- Andrew Jackson, Proclamation regarding nullification (December, 1832)



**The Issue before the Crisis: Tariff of Abominations** Even before the Jackson administration, many tariffs (a tax on imports or exports) were established, upsetting several Americans. The tariffs in the "Tariff Battle" list as so:
 *  Tariff of 1816: taxed imports of cheap textiles
 * Tariff of 1824: taxed imports of iron goods and more expensive woolen and cotton
 * Tariff of 1828: proclaimed a higher tariff on imported raw materials (such as hemp and wool); This tariff is also known as the Tariff of Abominations.

These tariffs were referred to as "protective tariffs". Following the war of 1812, British manufacturers wanted to destroy American competitors by flooding the U.S. market with inexpensive goods. The tariffs were passed in order to rid of the price advantage the British held in order to promote and protect American industries. Though this was highly favorable for the Northern manufacturers, the South found the tariffs (as quoted by John C. Calhoun) "disgusting and loathsome." Opposed to the North which turned to industry, the South still had an economy based on agriculture. The region, which was dependent on cotton, had to compete in the world market; the high tariffs not only reduced British exports, but the British in return had placed tariffs on American exports.



Once Andrew Jackson, a man from South Carolina, one of the major South states that was adamantly against the tariffs, was elected president in 1828, many people thought that the tariffs would be abolished. However, Andrew Jackson decides to put another tariff on the list: the Tariff of 1832.

This (the Tariff of 1832) absolutely astounded the Southern states and outraged them. John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, Jackson's vice president, in particular was quite upset. He resigned from his position and returned to South Carolina to become their senator and fight for their rights. Regarding the tariff, South Carolina responded by passing the Ordinance of Nullification, which declared the Tariff of 1828 (Tariff of abominations) and Tariff of 1832 as unconstitutional by the power of the state; South Carolina would not enforce the tariffs. This in turn outraged the Jackson administration; Jackson then issues a proclamation that states that states are forbidden from nullifying federal laws, threatening with military arms in the Force Act, passed by Congress that allowed him to do so to any state that resisted the tariffs.
 * In Response: South Carolina Strikes and Jackson Strikes Back **

South Carolina, though expecting much support from its fellow Southern states, most states had actually rejected the nullification. Similar to why it was an insult to the Jackson administration to ignore the presidency, the states felt that South Carolina was breaking the union among the nation in order to benefit themselves.

The Nullification Crisis ended in 1833 with the help of Henry Clay who negotiated with Calhoun to have the tariffs lowered provided South Carolina removes its Nullification Order. Called the Compromise Tariff of 1833, South Carolina does remove the Ordinance of Nullification, but also nullifies the Force Act. Despite the Force Act being rather a moot point at the time, nullifying the act not only gave South Carolina a sense of victory, but also gave Jackson a warning that if they were upset again (particularly by another tariff), they would nullify it yet again.
 * How it Ended: The Compromise **




 * The Effects: The Civil War **

The Nullification Crisis was the start of true Southern and Northern tension. The Nullification Crisis arose due to the protective tariffs -- something that favored the Northern manufacturers while hindering the Southern cotton farmers. The Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 had harmed the South considerably, causing them to blame the North. From the issue of how the Federal government was treating each region, both sides of the nation take opposite sides how how loosely or tight the nation was held together. The North was perfectly fine with being run with a strong Federal government where as the South thought otherwise. The major opinion in the South was that states were individual and not interrelated to the Union. They were independent of one another, and did not rely heavily on a Central Government, but could trade and stay under a single President. So to speak, the South believed in a looser nation -- a Confederacy. The South would dislike the North for being favored by the Federal Government while the North would spurn the South for spurning the Federal Government. The Crisis caused the South to question, for the first time since it was a part of the original colonies, whether it would be wise to stay with the United States. With the Nullification Crisis emphasizing the split between the two regions regarding the unity of the Union and the Federal Union, it would lead to be the major cause of the Civil War.



Primary Documents:
 * Ordinance of Nullification
 * President Jackson's Proclamation
 * Compromise Tariff of 1833

as they saw it as protecting the manufacturers of the Northern states at the expense of the South.