The Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis began with South Carolina's 1832 Ordinance of Nullification. The Ordinance declared that the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional and therefore void in the sovereign boundaries of South Carolina. The Tariff of 1828, or the Tariff of Abominations, was put into place during John Quincy Adams' presidency. The tariff was opposed in the South and parts of New England. Its opponents expected that the election of Jackson as President would result in the tariff being significantly reduced.
Throughout the 1820s, the county was suffering from an economic turndown, especially being felt in South Carolina. Many blamed the Tariff and policies developed after the War of 1812 that promoted domestic industry over European exchange. By 1828, South Carolina state politics increasingly organized around the tariff issue. The Jackson administration failed the take any measures and the most radical faction in the state began to advocate that the state itself declare the tariff null and void within South Carolina. In Washington, a debate occurred between Jackson and his vice president John C. Calhoun, the most effective proponent of the constitutional theory of state nullification. Calhoun resigned from vice presidency in July of 1832 in order to run for Senate where he could more effectively defend nullification. Jackson signed the Tariff of 1832, a compromise tariff that gained the support of the north and half of the southerners in Congress.
A convention in South Carolina in November of 1832 declared both tariffs unconstitutional and unenforceable in South Carolina after February 1833. In late February both a Force Bill, which authorized the President to use military forces against South Carolina, and a new negotiated tariff satisfactory to South Carolina were passed by Congress. The South Carolina convention met again and the Nullification Ordinance was repealed in March of 1833. At this, the crisis ended and both sides saw points in which they had won.
Throughout the 1820s, the county was suffering from an economic turndown, especially being felt in South Carolina. Many blamed the Tariff and policies developed after the War of 1812 that promoted domestic industry over European exchange. By 1828, South Carolina state politics increasingly organized around the tariff issue. The Jackson administration failed the take any measures and the most radical faction in the state began to advocate that the state itself declare the tariff null and void within South Carolina. In Washington, a debate occurred between Jackson and his vice president John C. Calhoun, the most effective proponent of the constitutional theory of state nullification. Calhoun resigned from vice presidency in July of 1832 in order to run for Senate where he could more effectively defend nullification. Jackson signed the Tariff of 1832, a compromise tariff that gained the support of the north and half of the southerners in Congress.
A convention in South Carolina in November of 1832 declared both tariffs unconstitutional and unenforceable in South Carolina after February 1833. In late February both a Force Bill, which authorized the President to use military forces against South Carolina, and a new negotiated tariff satisfactory to South Carolina were passed by Congress. The South Carolina convention met again and the Nullification Ordinance was repealed in March of 1833. At this, the crisis ended and both sides saw points in which they had won.