The nullification crisis

The nullification crisis had an important impact on both the economy and political instability of the time.

Andrew Jackson and the Nullification Crisis

The nullification crisis was a result of tariffs on finished goods coming into the United States. The tariff of 40% hurt an already ill economy in the southern states particularly South Carolina. This tariff benefited the northern states whose manufacturing base needed help to compete with overseas companies. One major concern was that the high tariffs would ultimately affect the import of slaves at the time. The tariff came into being in 1828, and as a result the government of South Carolina appealed to the federal government to do away with it. In 1832 President Andrew Jackson signed into law a reduced tariff law, but this was still insufficient for the people of South Carolina and many in the south. The government in South Carolina decided to declare the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 as null and void in the state, and as a result they were under no obligation to collect or pay it. President Jackson sent naval ships and began to plan on armed conflict to enforce the federal law. John Calhoun was Jackson’s vice president until he resigned and he supported South Carolina’s cause. Congress had authorized the federal government, namely President Jackson, to use whatever force was needed to enforce federal law. Before this actually happened a compromised was reached through John Calhoun, a political rival of President Jackson, where any item which is taxed over 20% of its value, that tax was reduced over a period of time (nine years) to the level of previous taxes set in 1816. This settled the nullification crisis and averted armed conflict; however it would not prevent a civil war in 1860.

(n.d.). Presidents: A Reference History. Retrieved March, 2011, from http://www.presidentprofiles.com/Washington-Johnson/Andrew-Jackson-Nullification.html

Research done by Sean M.