Nullification Crisis (24 nov 1832 – 15 mars 1833)

Description:

A sectional political crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson which involved a confrontation between the state of South Carolina and the federal government. It ensued after South Carolina declared that the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional and therefore null and void within the sovereign boundaries of the state.

The Crisis began when the Ordinance of Nullification declared the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 null and void within the state borders of South Carolina, beginning on February 1, 1833. President Andrew Jackson responded with his proclamation against South Carolina, the Nullification Proclamation, on December 10, 1832. South Carolina initiated military preparations to resist anticipated federal enforcement. However, on March 1, 1833, Congress passed both the Force Bill—authorizing the President to use military forces against South Carolina—and a new negotiated tariff, the Compromise Tariff of 1833, which was satisfactory to South Carolina. The South Carolina convention reconvened and repealed its Nullification Ordinance on March 15, 1833, but three days later, nullified the Force Bill as a symbolic gesture to maintain its principles.