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Chapter 14

A.P. U.S. History Notes
Chapter 14: "Jacksonian Democracy at Flood Tide"
~ 1830 – 1840 ~

I. "Nullies" in South Carolina
1. South Carolinians, still scornful toward the Tariff of 1828, attempted to garner the necessary two-thirds majority to nullify it in the S.C. legislature, but determined Unionists blocked them.
2. In response to the anger at the "Tariff of Abominations," Congress passed the Tariff of 1832, which did away with the worst parts of the Tariff of 1828, such as lowering the tariff down to 35%, a reduction of 10%, but many southerners still hated it.
3. In the elections of 1832, the Nullies came out with a two-thirds majority over the Unionists, met in the state legislature, and declared the Tariff of 1832 to be void within S.C. boundaries.
a. They also threatened with secession against the Union, causing a huge problem.
b. President Jackson issued a ringing proclamation against S.C., to which governor Hayne issued a counter-proclamation, and civil war loomed dangerously.
c. To compromise and prevent Jackson from crushing S.C. and becoming more popular, the president's rival, Henry Clay, proposed a compromise bill that would gradually reduce the Tariff of 1832 by about 10% over a period of eight years, so that by 1842 the rates would be down to 20% to 25%.
(i.) The Tariff of 1833 narrowly squeezed through Congress.
(ii.) However, to save face, Congress also passed the Force Bill (aka the "Bloody Bill") that authorized the president to use the army and navy, if necessary, to collect tariffs.
4. No other states had supported South Carolina's stance of possible secession, though Georgia and Virginia toyed with the idea.
5. Finally, S.C. repealed the nullification ordinance.
II. A Victory for Both Union and Nullification
1. The Unionists felt that they had won, since Jackson had appeased the South Carolinians and avoided civil war and an armed clash.
2. The Nullists felt that they had won too, since they had succeeded in lowering the...