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The Tariff of 1828, or the “Tariff of Abominations” to Southerners was passed in response to the lobbying of northern manufacturers. It placed high taxes on imported goods, benefiting Northern manufacturers, it protected their industrial products from foreign competition but hurt the Southern economy, which relied on imported goods and exports of cotton. Fearing that the tariff on imported European goods would impact their ability to sell and buy them due to agricultural depression.
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John C. Calhoun secretly authored this document, arguing that states have the right to nullify federal laws they deem unconstitutional. It laid out the foundation for the doctrine of nullification, directly challenging federal authority after the Tariff of 1828 was imposed and South Carolina used this doctrine to help argue against the Tariff of 1832.
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The Webster-Hayne debate occurred in the U.S. Senate in which Robert Hayne of South Carolina defended states’ rights and nullification, while Daniel Webster of Massachusetts argued for the supremacy of the Union and federal law and that it was created to promote the good of the people.
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South Carolina passed the Ordinance of Nullification, which declared the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 null and void within the state’s borders. The state also threatened to secede if the federal government continued to enforce these tariffs, which fuelled the Nullification Crisis.
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The Tariff of 1832 was a protectionist tariff passed to lower existing tariffs to help solve the conflict about the Tariff of Abominations. While Northern states accepted it, South Carolina and other Southern critics saw it as insufficient, fueling more anger.
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President Andrew Jackson issued a proclamation stating his rejection of the nullification after South Carolina's Ordinance of Nullification. He declared it incompatible with the existence of the Union and warned people that disunion by armed force is considered treason. Stating that he was prepared to use the U.S. military to enforce federal law.
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Congress also passed the Force Bill in response to the Nullification Crisis, which authorized President Jackson to use military power to enforce federal tariffs.
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Senator Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun proposed the Compromise Tariff of 1833, which promised to gradually reduce tariff rates over the next decade. This attempted to end the crisis about Southerners’ disagreement with protectionism in the Tariff of 1828 and 1832, as they threatened to secede from the Union. These reduction only lasted two months until protections was reintroduced after the Black Tariff of 1842.