John Quincy Adams
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The nullification crisis was a sectional political crisis in the United States in 1832 and 1833, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, which involved a confrontation between the state of South Carolina and the federal government.
The Nullification Crisis was the first time that friction between state and federal authority began to create enough tension that it almost led to a civil war. Andrew Jackson’s leadership in this crisis forestalled succession by nearly 30 years.
Jackson issues the Nullification Proclamation, reaffirming his belief that states and municipalities are forbidden from nullifying federal laws.
In doing so, he paved the way for Andrew Jackson to win the 1828 presidential election. 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.
They will look at John C. Calhoun’s Exposition and Protest, in which he outlined why the tariff was unconstitutional and harmful to the southern economy. Students will also read Andrew Jackson’s pledge to preserve the Union in his Nullification Proclamation.
Pres. Andrew Jackson regarded the South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification as a clear threat to the federal union and to national authority. He reacted by submitting to Congress a Force Bill authorizing the use of federal troops in South Carolina if necessary to collect tariff duties.
President Jackson's Proclamation Regarding Nullification, December 10, 1832. Library of Congress. Led by John C. Calhoun, Andrew Jackson’s Vice President, “nullifiers” in the South Carolina convention declared that the tariff acts of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional and should be nullified.
