More Schmitz stuff
Heres the 4th task:
President Jackson said “our Federal Union- it must be preserved” in reference to nullification. It was a huge part of his time in office. Nullification was by definition “an individual state’s right to declare any law passed by Congress as void do to unconstitutional content” (Harlow, Nullification). It first came up in 1798 in a presidential debate of Jefferson v Madison. It dealt with states being able to nullify laws. Once the “revolution of 1800” rolled around and all political power shifted from federal to democratic, it became a topic up for discussion but quickly forgotten.
The “tariff of abominations” in 1828 was what brought the idea back into circulation. In America, the North began to grow stronger then the South, because their land was more profitable. The tariff increased taxes on goods. These were goods that could not be purchased in the South due to unsuitable conditions for growing specific crops. The South could not afford to pay more to get them sent from the North anymore either. South Carolinians were particularly angry. It came to the point where they threatened withdrawal from the union.
John Calhoun, who was Vice President to Jackson at the time, stepped in. He voiced the idea of nullification as an alternative option. S Carolina could nullify a federal law AND remain in the union. The only exception was if three fourths of the states voted to make it a constitutional amendment. While Calhoun saw this as a chance to get the government to reduce the rates of tariffs, it tore apart not just the country, but him and Jackson. Jackson, along with Daniel Webster, was strongly against nullification. The world opinion split into Northeast v Southwest.
In 1833, a “force bill” was passed by congress, allowing Jackson to use violence to preserve the union. It was Senator Henry Clay who came up with a compromise nearly ten years later. His compromise tariff was passed, and slowly the rates lowered to what they were in 1816.
I think the result of this was a compromise all the way around: both sides benefited. The federal government proved that they had power and could handle state “threats” (Davidson, 238). However, South Carolina’s “Order of Nullification” showed that states had a voice and that they could use it.
President Jackson said “our Federal Union- it must be preserved” in reference to nullification. It was a huge part of his time in office. Nullification was by definition “an individual state’s right to declare any law passed by Congress as void do to unconstitutional content” (Harlow, Nullification). It first came up in 1798 in a presidential debate of Jefferson v Madison. It dealt with states being able to nullify laws. Once the “revolution of 1800” rolled around and all political power shifted from federal to democratic, it became a topic up for discussion but quickly forgotten.
The “tariff of abominations” in 1828 was what brought the idea back into circulation. In America, the North began to grow stronger then the South, because their land was more profitable. The tariff increased taxes on goods. These were goods that could not be purchased in the South due to unsuitable conditions for growing specific crops. The South could not afford to pay more to get them sent from the North anymore either. South Carolinians were particularly angry. It came to the point where they threatened withdrawal from the union.
John Calhoun, who was Vice President to Jackson at the time, stepped in. He voiced the idea of nullification as an alternative option. S Carolina could nullify a federal law AND remain in the union. The only exception was if three fourths of the states voted to make it a constitutional amendment. While Calhoun saw this as a chance to get the government to reduce the rates of tariffs, it tore apart not just the country, but him and Jackson. Jackson, along with Daniel Webster, was strongly against nullification. The world opinion split into Northeast v Southwest.
In 1833, a “force bill” was passed by congress, allowing Jackson to use violence to preserve the union. It was Senator Henry Clay who came up with a compromise nearly ten years later. His compromise tariff was passed, and slowly the rates lowered to what they were in 1816.
I think the result of this was a compromise all the way around: both sides benefited. The federal government proved that they had power and could handle state “threats” (Davidson, 238). However, South Carolina’s “Order of Nullification” showed that states had a voice and that they could use it.