The Nullification Crisis
Background
The relationship between North and the South was tenuous when Andrew Jackson came to office in 1828. Ever since the
Philadelphia Convention of 1787, Northerners and Southerners had fought over slavery and tariffs. Each region wanted to
make sure their economies were protected in the new Union. Several times states threatened to leave the Convention and
abandon the writing of the Constitution. By the end of the Convention, both sides had made significant compromises to
the Constitution such as the “three-fifths clause,” the fugitive slave clause, and Article 1, Section 8 which allowed Congress
to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises. These compromises were shaky. Neither side was truly pleased with
the results.
Forty-one years later, in 1828, the issue of tariffs surfaced again. Congress passed a high protective tariff on imported,
primarily manufactured goods. The South, being predominately agricultural and reliant on the North and foreign
countries for manufactured goods, saw this tariff as an affront to their economy. Vice President John C. Calhoun called
this a “tariff of abominations” meant to favor the North. South Carolina declared that Congress was overstepping its power
by offering such support of the North’s manufacturing industries. The confrontation quickly spun into a debate over the
power of the federal government to decide the rights of states.
In 1832, after the passing of another tariff, South Carolina declared the tariffs null and void and threatened to leave the
Union in the Ordinance of Nullification. Jackson responded swiftly, calling the action treasonous. He asked Congress for
the power to use military force to ensure that states adhered to federal law. While Congress debated the resulting Force
Bill—which would grant the president his wish—Kentucky’s Henry Clay introduced a compromise tariff. Both bills passed
in 1832. In the end, the North and South compromised, but not without revealing how fragile the relationship was. The
Nullification Crisis foreshadowed the eventual secession of the South in 1860.
Overview
In this lesson, you will examine the wording of the Tariff of 1828 to discover how the tariff affected the economies of North
and South. You will look at John C. Calhoun’s Exposition and Protest in which he outlines why the tariff is
unconstitutional and harmful to the Southern economy. You will also read Andrew Jackson’s argument for the
preservation of the Union in his Nullification Proclamation. Lastly, you will read excerpts from Daniel Webster’s 1830
speech showing how the debate had moved beyond tariffs to the issues of state sovereignty. You will engage in a discussion
activity allowing you to hear each side of the issue and examine the Crisis critically. A PowerPoint presentation containing
a brief history and introduction to the key individuals and terms from this period accompanies the lesson.
Activity 1 - Barometer Activity
Consider the following question: if a state disagrees with a law made by the national government, do you think the state
has a right to refuse it? What if the state felt the law was unjust or oppressive? (10 minutes)
Activity 2 – Begin Power Point - the first part of the PowerPoint presentation covering tariffs and
the different economies of North and South. (5 minutes) (slides 1-6)
Activity 3 – Read/Analyze the Tariff of 1828 -
we will read this as a class. This is a difficult
reading due to the legal language. I will stop frequently to review chunks of the text with the accompanying questions in
the PowerPoint presentation. (10-15 minutes)
Activity 4 – Finish the Power Point - reviewing the response to the Tariff of 1828 and the
Nullification Crisis. (10-20 minutes)
Activity 5 – HW reading – for the HW reading there will be three groups - each group assigned one of the
following readings for homework: South Carolina Exposition and Protest, the Nullification Proclamation,
or Daniel Webster’s Response to Robert Y. Hayne. You will discuss the readings and complete a related activity in the
next day’s class.
Day Two (45-60 minutes)
Activity 1 – Expert Groups and Jigsaw
Activity 2 – GTS Discussion (all at once)
Which reading is the most persuasive?
Were the tariffs fair?
Was the nullification of tariffs an appropriate response by those who disagreed with tariffs?
What can people do if they disagree with a law?
Was the Force Bill an appropriate response from President Jackson?
Assessments
Pretend you are living in 1832. Write a persuasive letter to any of the figures involved in this crisis presenting an argument
about the Nullification Crisis.