The Proclamation to the People of South Carolina was written by

Edward Livingston Edward Livingston (May 28, 1764May 23, 1836) was an American jurist and statesman. He was an influential figure in the drafting of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825, a civil code based largely on the Napoleonic Code. Livingston represented both ...

and issued by

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

on December 10, 1832. Written at the height of the Nullification Crisis, the proclamation directly responds to the

Ordinance of Nullification The Ordinance of Nullification declared the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 null and void within the borders of the U.S. state of South Carolina, beginning on February 1, 1833. It began the Nullification Crisis. Passed by a state convention on Novembe ...

passed by the

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

legislature in November 1832. Its purpose was to subdue the Nullification Crisis created by South Carolina's ordinance and to denounce the doctrine of nullification. The proclamation outlines the actions taken by the South Carolina legislature and rejects the insistence on state sovereignty, focusing on the preservation of the Union as the primary issue. It declares nullification to be "incompatible with the existence of the Union, contradicted expressly by the letter of the Constitution, unauthorized by its spirit, inconsistent with every principle on which It was founded, and destructive of the great object for which it was formed." The proclamation also appeals to citizens to resist the violation of the constitution.

Background

Jackson's Proclamation to the People of South Carolina was written in response to the growing opposition to the

Tariff of 1828 The Tariff of 1828 was a very high protective tariff that became law in the United States in May 1828. It was a bill designed to not pass Congress because it was seen by free trade supporters as hurting both industry and farming, but surprising ...

, which was perceived to affect heavily in the economy of the

antebellum South In History of the Southern United States, the history of the Southern United States, the Antebellum Period (from la, ante bellum, lit=Status quo ante bellum, before the war) spanned the Treaty of Ghent, end of the War of 1812 to the start of ...

, and the

Tariff of 1832 The Tariff of 1832 ( 22nd Congress, session 1, ch. 227, , enacted July 14, 1832) was a protectionist tariff in the United States. Enacted under Andrew Jackson's presidency, it was largely written by former President John Quincy Adams, who had ...

, which cut overall revenues of the previous tariff by half but was still regarded as unconstitutional by South Carolina. The South Carolina legislature declared these tariffs to be null and void within their Ordinance of Nullification. Besides nullifying the tariffs, it also forbade the appeal of the ordinance to the Supreme Court and prohibited the federal government from collecting duties in South Carolina after February 1, 1833. The immediate response to the Ordinance of Nullification was to substantially reduce the tariffs imposed on South Carolina and other states in the South. Jackson proposed this approach in his annual message to Congress on December 4, 1832, shortly before the creation of the Proclamation to the People of South Carolina.

Aftermath

After issuing the Proclamation to the People of South Carolina, Jackson received reports in January 1833 that the legislature had not only persisted in the nullification of the Tariff of 1828 and 1832, but also rescinded all other tariff laws passed by the federal government for revenue purposes. This action continued South Carolina's efforts to assert state sovereignty, as the state refused to financially contribute to any part of the federal financial burden. Following this,

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

proposed the Compromise Tariff of 1833, which was later signed into law alongside the

Force Bill The Force Bill, formally titled "''An Act further to provide for the collection of duties on imports''", (1833), refers to legislation enacted by the 22nd U.S. Congress on March 2, 1833, during the nullification crisis. Passed by Congress at ...

by Jackson on March 2, 1833. The Compromise Tariff of 1833 called for a series of reductions at two-year intervals, culminating in the same rates as the Tariff of 1816, and was supported primarily by the South and West. The Force Bill, however, authorized the US president to employ military forces to uphold federal law. Although South Carolina nullified the Force Bill, it did rescind its earlier ordinance regarding nullification. The combination of the two bills allowed the federal government to assert its authority, while also permitting South Carolina to accept the reduced tariffs without diminishing its own stance.Adams 1934, p. 115.

Notes

References

*Adams, James Truslow. ''America's Tragedy.'' C. Scribner's Sons, 1934. *Finkelman, Paul and

Melvin I. Urofsky Melvin I. Urofsky is an American historian, and professor emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University. He received his B.A. from Columbia University in 1961 and doctorate in 1968. He also received his JD from the University of Virginia. He teache ...

. ''A March of Liberty: A Constitutional History of the United States, 2nd ed., vol. 1.'' Oxford University Press, 2002. *Jennings, Walter W. ''A History of Economic Progress in the United States.'' Thomas Y. Crowell, 1926. *Lowery, Charles D. ''James Barbour, a Jeffersonian Republican.'' University of Alabama, 1984. *Northrup, Cynthia Clark and Elaine C. Prange Turney, eds. ''Encyclopedia of Tariffs and Trade in U.S. History, vol. 2.'' Greenwood Press, 2003. * Richardson, J. D. '' A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, vol. II." 1900.

External links

Nullification proclamation and related documents
from the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

{{Authority control History of South Carolina Politics of South Carolina Separatism in the United States 1832 in South Carolina Proclamations 1832 documents December 1832 events

Background

Aftermath

See also

Notes

References

External links