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South Carolina Exposition and Protest
John C. Calhoun declared in his South Carolina Exposition and Protest that states had the right to nullify oppressive national legislation. -
Tariff of Abominations
The tariff caused widespread economic hardship in the agricultural South, while protecting northern industrial interests. It led to higher prices on manufactured goods and the loss of valuable European markets for southern agricultural exports, mainly cotton. It was passed to protect the Northern states' new industrial centers from competition from the more established manufacturing sectors of Europe. Southerners were unwilling to suffer for the benefit of the North. -
Webster-Hayne Debates
Robert Y. Hayne from South Carolina and Daniel Webster from Massachusetts debated issues such as public land policy, western expansion, and slavery. It laid out arguments for and against states' rights. -
Ordinance of Nullification
The Ordinance of Nullification declared both tariffs of 1828 and 1832 null and void within state borders. Its legislature also passed laws to enforce the ordinance, including authorization for raising a military force and appropriations for arms. This was the first time a state had attempted to declare nullification. -
Jackson Proclamation
This was the President's answer to South Carolina's Ordinance of Nullification. Jackson was a southern cotton planter this led some of the supporters of nullification to hope that he would support the Ordinance. However, in his Proclamation he makes it clear that he opposed nullification and would use force, if necessary, to carry out the laws of the United States. -
Clay's Tariff Bill
Clay's Tariff Bill specified that all duties in excess of 20% of the value of the goods imported were to be reduced year by year. This ended the Nullification Crisis. -
Force Bill
The Force Bill authorized the president to use military power to enforce laws. It overrode South Carolina's effort to nullify federal laws during the Nullification Crisis.
