Tariff Of 1828, The Main Cause Of The Nullification Crisis

The tariff of 1828 which is also known as “Tariff of Abomination” was the main cause of the Nullification Crisis. The Nullification Crisis was the political crisis that started from the year 1832-1833 that involved a confrontation between the federal government and South Carolina. “the tariff of 1828, which raise taxes on imported manufactured goods made of wool as well as on raw materials like iron, had aroused considerable opposition in the South, nowhere more than in South Carolina, where it was called the tariff of abominations” (Foner 391). By assisting the tariff, taxes were raised on imported good that were paid by the southerners to benefit the North, the legislature would threaten to “nullify” it by giving domestic industries a competitive

Calhoun, who was from South Carolina and was elected as vice president in 1828 served under President John Quincy Adam and continued under President Andrew Jackson. Calhoun soon emerged as the leading theorist of nullification crisis. “Having been elected vice president in 1828, Calhoun at first remained behind the scenes, secretly drafting the Exposition and Protest in which the South Carolina legislature justified nullification…. The national government, Calhoun insisted, have been created by an agreement among sovereign states, each of which retained the right to prevent the enforcement within its borders of the Congress that exceeded the powers specifically spelled out in the Constitution” (Foner 391). Eventually by 1831, Calhoun publicly emerged as the leading theorist of states’ rights. Still, the tightly packed theory of the Constitution gave the South a well-developed political philosophy to which it would turn when sectional conflicts became more intense. Calhoun was in denial that the nullification was a step forward to disunion. To make certain for the safety of a large, diverse nation was for each state to be convinced that on the national actions would never abuse its rights or vital interests. As stated from Calhoun’s theory of the “concurrent majority,” slaveholders, that was also included in each major interest, should have a veto over all measures that affected

The Indian Removal Act empowered Jackson to enforceable evict all the Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi River. The five-civilized tribes were directly affected. The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole, that had a population of around 60,000 living in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. The tribes did everything to become what a republican citizen should be. “The Cherokee had taken the lead, establishing schools, adopting written laws and a constitution modeled on that of the United States, and becoming successful farmers, many of whom owned slaves” (Foner 394). Jackson still thought the Indians as “savages” and encourage Georgia to overrun Cherokee’s land and nullify the tribe’s law. To protect their rights, retain their lands, and guarantee treaties with the federal government, the Cherokee leaders went to court against Georgia. The case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court which led to Cherokee Nation v. Georgia in 1831 with Chief Justice John Marshall. “They deserved paternal regard and protection, but they lacked the standing as citizens that would allow the Supreme Court to enforce their rights” (Foner 394). The justice could not block Georgia’s effort to extend its jurisdiction over the tribe, but with the Worcester v. Georgia, the Court seemed to changed their mind because the Indian nations were a distinct people with the right to