Name: _______________________________________ Date: ________ Period: ________
The 1832 Tariff Debate
In 1828 Congress passed a tariff, or fee paid by merchants, on goods IMPORTED from Europe. Manufactures
supported the tariff. People would buy American goods because European goods would cost more. SOUTHERNERS
opposed the tariff because they traded cotton for European goods. Vice-President Calhoun wanted the states
to cancel, or NULLIFY, they tariff. He felt it was unconstitutional. Calhoun believed that Southerners had the
right to break away, or SECEDE, from the Union and form their own government. He believed in STATES’ RIGHTS,
the powers of the states being independent of the federal government. NORTHERNERS did not agree with
Calhoun. President Jackson believed in keeping the country together. Calhoun was elected to the Senate and
resigned his Vice-Presidency. He wanted to support the views of the South in the Senate.
SOUTHERNERS were still angry even after Congress passed a lower tariff. South Carolina refused to pay
the tariffs. They passed the NULLIFICATION ACT, declaring the tariffs to be illegal. They threatened to form their
own government if the federal government interfered. Jackson and Clay planned a compromise. The tariff was
reduced, and would continue to reduce over time. Congress however, passed a FORCE BILL to make clear the
expectation that laws are to be followed. It gave the President the power to enforce acts of Congress with
military power. South Carolina agreed to the new tariff, but nullified the Force Bill.
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AN UNFAIR TARIFF
A BENEFICIAL TARIFF
The debate over the proposed tariff on the
import of manufactured goods continued today in
Washington. According to Senator Smith from Virginia,
the tariff will spell doom for the small planters and
farmers in the South. “Making a living off the land is
difficult enough already with the high costs of seeds
and fertilizer. Placing a tariff on manufactured goods
will increase the costs of basic farm machinery and
tools that all farmers need and will force more and
more farmers into debt – perhaps even out of
business,” he said.
The tariff raises prices by making imported
manufactured goods, which are currently cheaper
than manufactured goods made in America, more
expensive. Senator Smith feels this is not right. “The
South supplies the North with cotton and many other
agricultural products that are necessary for business
and life. Now they ask us to supply these raw
materials at the same prices while we pay higher
prices for the manufactured goods they produce. It
is simply not fair.”
Senator Smith is certain that if the tariff
becomes law, the economy of the South and the North
will be negatively affected in the near future. “If
Northern states get this tariff passed, it may help
them in the short term. Still, where will they be in a
few years, when the supply of raw materials from the
South dries up and they have no cotton to weave?”
The purposed tariff on imported manufactured goods
has caused much debate in the halls of Congress.
Senator Price from Connecticut is excited about the
tariff and feels it will be very beneficial. “American
manufacturing has suffered greatly because of unfair
competition from European manufactures,’ he said.
“Nations with long-established manufacturing
facilities, such as England and France, have been able
to produce goods more cheaply than America has, and
because of this, they have been able to sell these
goods in America at very low prices. The tariff will
help American manufactures by making all imported
manufactured goods more expensive. This rise in
prices will make the goods produced by American
business more attractive to consumers because the
American goods will actually be cheaper than
imported goods.”
Senator Price feels the tariff will eventually help
make all Americans. “The Tariff may make goods more
expensive in the short term, but it will eventually
make manufactured goods cheaper because American
industry will develop and be able to lower its prices.”
Senator Price knows that if the tariff passes, it will
be great for his home state. “The tariff will finally
allow people in Connecticut to make a decent living,
and it will allow business to grow and better meet
the future needs of this great country.”
Terrible or Terrific Tariff?
1.
How might a tariff on manufactured goods benefit AND hurt the whole country?
Benefit ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Hurt ___________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why would the NORTH have supported the tariffs of 1828 & 1832?
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3. Why would the SOUTH have been opposed to the tariffs of 1828 & 1832?
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4. Why did the NORTH need to be cautious/worried about the Southern response to the tariffs?
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5. Why did the SOUTHERN states believe they had the right to nullify the tariffs?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
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6. What was the danger in letting South Carolina nullify these tariffs?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
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7. What effect would reducing the tariff over time have on the NORTH?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
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8. Why would most people have opposed the Force Bill? Why was it a dangerous piece of legislation?
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9. Sequence the items on the board in the graphic organizer below:
NORTHERN PERSPECTIVE
10. Sequence the items on the board in the graphic organizer below:
SOUTHERN PERSPECTIVE