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Congress passes a high protective tariff to shield Northern industries. Southerners, reliant on exporting cotton and importing goods, call it the "Tariff of Abominations." They face higher prices for imports and fear a reduction in British demand for their exports. The act is seen as an unconstitutional abuse of federal power that favors the North, sparking intense sectional tension over the economic burden placed on the South. -
Vice President John C. Calhoun anonymously authors the "South Carolina Exposition and Protest." He argues the tariff is unconstitutional and promotes the doctrine of nullification, which allows states to declare a federal law void within their borders. Calhoun claims the Union is a compact of sovereign states, and the federal government has limited power. This essay becomes the intellectual basis for South Carolina's resistance to the federal tariff law. -
January 19-27, In a famous Senate debate, Senator Robert Hayne of South Carolina defends nullification and states' rights. Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts counters, arguing for the supremacy of the federal government. Webster contends the Union is a government of the people, not just a compact of states. His powerful oration, ending with "Liberty and Union, now and for ever, one and inseparable!", galvanizes support for a strong national union. -
At a dinner, President Andrew Jackson publicly challenged Vice President Calhoun and the nullification doctrine. Aware that nullifiers plan to promote states' rights, Jackson offers a direct toast: "Our federal Union: It must be preserved." Calhoun's reply, "The Union: Next to our liberty, the most dear!", highlights the growing divide. The event signals the President's firm opposition to nullification and exposes the deep rift within his own administration. -
Congress enacts a new tariff, lowering the rates of the 1828 "Tariff of Abominations" to ease tensions. President Jackson signs it, hoping to appease the South. However, South Carolina's nullifiers find the reductions insufficient. They view any protective tariff as unconstitutional. Instead of resolving the conflict, the new tariff only serves to provoke South Carolina into taking more extreme measures against federal authority. -
In response to the Tariff of 1832, a South Carolina state convention adopted the Ordinance of Nullification. It declares the federal tariffs of 1828 and 1832 null and void within the state. The ordinance forbids the collection of tariff duties and threatens secession from the Union if the federal government attempts to use force. The state legislature also authorizes the raising of a military force to enforce the ordinance, bringing the state into confrontation with the federal government. -
President Jackson issued a powerful proclamation denouncing South Carolina's Ordinance of Nullification. He calls the doctrine of nullification unconstitutional and incompatible with the existence of the Union. Warning that secession is treason, Jackson makes it clear he is prepared to use military force to enforce federal laws. He reinforces federal forts in Charleston and prepares the army, bringing the nation to the verge of civil war. -
Senator Henry Clay engineers a solution to the crisis. Congress passes two bills: the Compromise Tariff of 1833, which gradually lowers tariffs, and the Force Bill, authorizing the president to use the military to enforce federal law. South Carolina accepts the compromise and repeals its nullification ordinance, averting immediate conflict. In a final symbolic gesture, it nullifies the Force Bill. The crisis ends, but the core issue of states' rights remains unresolved.