The Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis arose in the early 1830s when leaders of South Carolina advanced the idea that
a state did not have to follow a federal law and could "nullify"(or cancel) a national law. This idea that
"states' rights" superseded (more powerful than) federal law would ultimately trigger the Civil War 30
years later.
A tariff was passed in 1828 which had raised taxes on imports to protect American businesses and
manufacturing in the north. Calhoun and others from South Carolina were outraged by it. The 1828
tariff was so controversial in the South that it became known as the” Tariff of Abominations”. (An
abomination is a terribly vile and wicked sin.)
Calhoun and others felt the tariff unfairly targeted the southern states because they did not receive
any benefit from the tariff like industrial northern states did. Therefore these southern states decided
they were not obligated by the U.S. Constitution to follow the law (states’ rights of nullification).
At that time, Calhoun wrote an essay advancing a theory of nullification, in which he made a legal
case for states to disregard some federal laws.
In the early 1830s, Calhoun was serving as vice president to Andrew Jackson. With the issue of a tariff
again rising to prominence, Calhoun resigned his position, returned to South Carolina, and was elected
to the Senate, where he promoted his idea of nullification.
President Jackson tired of the nullification threats and responded by sending the army to South
Carolina to enforce the tariff law. For a time it appeared that armed conflict might result if South
Carolina attempted to secede (withdraw) from the Union.
The crisis was finally put to rest in 1832 when a compromise was reached on a new law that lowered
the tariff. The Nullification Crisis demonstrated that disputes between the North and the South could
cause enormous problems.