Nullification Crisis

It was during the reigns of President Andrew Jackson that the nullification crisis took place. It was a sectional crisis between the Government of United States of America and the state of South Carolina. The Federal government passed the Tariff of 1828 and the Tariffs of 1832, two legislations which had an adverse economic impact on South Carolina. As such, the state government protested the decision, but the Federal government refused to repeal these laws. So the Ordinance of Nullification was issued by South Carolina which declared these laws null and void within the boundaries of the state, and this is what lead to the crisis.

What Was the Nullification Crisis

South Carolina tried to bypass the laws of the National Government giving rise to what is known as the nullification crisis. The south believed that the nation was a loose confederation of states with a weak Federal Government and a strong State Government. As such, South Carolina declared that the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 as unconstitutional, as the State Government they believed, preceded the Federal Government.

The state was primarily rural with few urban areas and the people of the region wanted to stay that way. The state also had abundant natural resources and raw materials, but hardly any industry to exploit them. So the Northern states which had several industries at that time took away all these resources and produced finished goods. South Carolina didn't wish to pay protective tariffs as they didn't receive any money from the northern states for the natural resources which South Carolina supplied.

South Carolina protested saying that the tariffs were discriminatory and the goods which the Federal Government wanted to protect didn't need any protection. Several of these protected products were needed by South Carolina. South Carolina believed that such discrimination was beneficial for the northern states. As such South Carolina proclaimed that these tariffs were null and void. More on facts on South Carolina.

What Caused the Nullification Crisis

In the 1820s, South Carolina was mostly an agricultural state. The aim of the Tariff of 1828 was to protect the American manufacturers and so the Federal Government imposed a tax on imported goods. As South Carolina had to import most of the finished products, the tax imposed increased prices of manufactured goods. Moreover, the tax was also responsible for reducing exports of agricultural goods. The people of South Carolina were agitated by these two factors and hoped that President Andrew Jackson would solve this crisis.

However, the president did not take any steps in this regard. On the other hand John C. Calhoun, the then Vice President supported the idea of the right of the states to nullify Federal Laws. This made the president take note and so he got the Tariff of 1832 passed, but that too was not enough to satisfy the people of South Carolina. As such in a state convention the Ordinance of Nullification was passed.

The president in response to the nullification crisis dispatched seven naval vessels to South Carolina besides strengthening Federal forces in the state. He said that if the state did not pay taxes, it would be treated as treason. Drafting of a force bill began which sanctioned the use of the Federal army so as to enforce tariffs in the state. In the meantime, Henry Clay, a senator realizing the consequences of such a conflict initiated a new bill. This bill proposed to reduce the tariffs in phases over 10 years.

The bill which Henry Clay proposed was passed on March 1, 1833. Even though other southern states were not happy with the previous bills, they didn't support the defiance of Federal laws by South Carolina. As South Carolina didn't have the support of other southern states and a compromise formula worked out, the state repealed the Ordinance of Nullification and accepted the latest tariffs.

Thus, the nullification crisis was an important event in the history of the United States of America. The previous doctrine of the right of a state to nullification was rejected and the Federal Government reigned supreme.