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 It said that if the tariff wasn’t repealed, South Carolina would secede from the Union.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.