The First Southern Secession

John C Calhoun the United States Vice President wrote the “South Carolina Exposition and Protest” and had it presented to the South Carolina House of Representatives on December 19th 1828.

The document known as the “South Carolina Exposition and Protest” was written in protest of the Tariff of 1828. It said that if the tariff wasn’t repealed, South Carolina would secede from the Union. Calhoun completed the “Exposition” in late 1828. In it he argued the tariff was un-constitutional, favoring manufacturing over agriculture. Calhoun felt the people of a state had the right to veto any act of the Federal government that violated the United State Constitution. With five thousand copies printed the report was presented to the South Carolina House of Representatives on December 19th 1828. Calhoun at the time still hoped to become President and so didn’t take credit for writing the “Exposition”, but his authorship quickly leaked out. The South Carolina legislature didn’t take any action on the report.

Calhoun took credit for his ideas during the Nullification Crisis of 1832. He resigned in protest of President Andrew Jackson’s support of the 1828 Tariff.

Nullify

Passed by Congress on May 19th 1828 the Tariff of 1828 was labeled the Tariff of Abominations by southerners.

Following the War of 1812 and the Napoleonic Wars, European blockades led English manufacturers to sell goods in America for price much less then American manufactures could sell for. So the United State passed a series of protective tariffs. Southern states felt the tariffs were unconstitutional, but the new Western and New England states favored them. A majority of New England Congressmen saw national benefits in the 1828 Tariff, as it would strengthen the countries manufacturing industry. This National benefit was stuck to even after the Democrats added in high import duties on raw wool which was essential to the New England textile industry.

Although he knew it would hurt him politically, President John Quincy Adams signed the 1828 Tariff. [The 1828 Presidential election was a land slide for Andrew Jackson.] Finding a reduced market for their goods, the British reduced the amount of cotton bought from the United States, which hurt the southern growers. John C Calhoun then the Vice-President strongly opposed the tariff and urged South Carolina to nullify the act. In November 1832 the state held a convention which overwhelmingly passed an ordinance declaring the tariff unenforceable in South Carolina. President Andrew Jackson threatened to send Federal troops into South Carolina to regain control.