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Nullification Crisis

By Phelps Bennett

  • Tariff of Abominations

    The Tariff of Abominations was a "high protective tariff" which was never intended to be passed by Congress, as the repercussions to agriculture and industry, but it somehow passed. This tariff served to protect American business from "competition with foreign imports". This tariff divided the North and South further, as the south resented the North more, eventually leading to the Civil War.

  • South Carolina Exposition

    The South Carolina Exposition was a document protesting the the Tariff of Abominations. This document also stated Calhoun's "Doctrine of Nullification", which presented the beliefs that states had the right to "reject" laws passed by the Federal Government, disobeying the supremacy established prior in the Supreme Court. This Exposition claimed to be backed by the Constitution, but the Constitution more explicitly gave the Federal Government power. the exposition caused the Nullification Crisis.

  • 1st South Carolina Nullification

    In November of 1832, South Carolina adopted the Ordinance of Nullification. This ordinance declared the recent Tariff of Abominations as null and void, meaning that South Carolina did not recongize these laws, therefore did nto abide by them. This was a volatile, dangerous conflict between SC and the U.S. government, which was on the verge of causing a Civil War. But South Carolina became isolayted, and was faced with the U.S. military, so they had to back down and follow the law.

  • Tariff of 1832

    The Tariff of 1832 (known more commonly as the protectionist tariff) served to mediate conflict that arose becuase of the Tariff of Abominations. Congress saught to ease up on some of the tension between the North and the South. This did not work, because this tariff only reduced taxes slightly, and the South claimed that th enorth were benefiting in their businesses at their expense. Tension grew worse.

  • The Force Bill

    After repetitive conflict with the Nullification Crisis, U.S. Congress passed the Force Bill. The Force Bill gave the President to enforce the tariffs as much as extreme as necessary. This bill gave the President power to use military power to collect taxes on imports if a state was defying the tax.

  • The Compromise Tariff of 1833

    The Compromise Tariff of 1833 was an attempt made by Congress to finally relieve some of the tension between the North and South, and put off potential war as long as possible. This bill would slowly lower tariffs for approximately 10 years, making things better for everyone. The South proposed this idea, proving sectionalism still existed, but this plan was accepted by the North anyway. This compromise was a success and ended the Nullification Crisis.