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South Carolina Exposition
Written by John C. Calhoun in response to the Tariff of 1828, it supported the notion of nullification and argued that the states have the power to abolish the tariff because it is unconstitutional. -
Tariff of Abominations
The Tariff of 1828, sometimes known as the Tariff of Abominations, was a protective tariff enacted at the beginning of the 19th century with the goal of supporting developing domestic industries by increasing the cost of imported goods—a position that became known as protectionism (a theory of protecting a nations domestics industries from foreign competition by taxing goods). -
Tariff of 1832
The Tariff of 1832 was passed to lower the current tax rates in an effort to resolve and ease the tariff of abominations controversy. Because of the high prices of the imported goods, Southerners grew increasingly angry and outraged, and they continued to believe that the tariffs were unlawful. -
South Carolina's Ordinance of Nullification
The state that objected to tariffs the most declared they had the right to overturn tariffs as well as any other law enacted by the government in reaction to the rise in the cost of products. -
Jackson's Proclamation Against Nullification
Jackson replied that states do not have the authority to overturn a federal statute that they deem to be unconstitutional in reaction to South Carolina's nullification of the tariffs. -
Clay's Compromise
Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun negotiated a compromise bill in 1833 that gradually reduced tariffs over the subsequent ten years. South Carolina eventually ratified the Compromise Tariff of 1833, which put an end to the nullification controversy.