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What authority did Andrew Jackson request from Congress during the Nullification Crisis?
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Nullification Crisis
U.S. Pres. Andrew Jackson issued his “Proclamation to the People of South Carolina” on December 10, 1832, in response to South Carolina's refusal to be bound by federal tariffs. In it Jackson asserted the supremacy of the federal government and rejected South Carolina's argument that it, as a state, had the right to reject laws made by the federal government that it deemed unconstitutional. Jackson's proclamation was an escalation of the Nullification Crisis, and some argue that it helped lay the foundation for the American Civil War.
During the Nullification Crisis, President Andrew Jackson requested that Congress grant him the authority to use the military to enforce the collection of federal tariffs in South Carolina if necessary.21
In response to this request, Congress passed the Force Bill in 1833. This legislation authorized the president to:21
- Use armed forces to protect customs officials.2
- Enforce the collection of import duties.2
- Relocate customs houses and require that duties be paid in cash.2
Jackson’s request for this authority was a firm assertion of federal supremacy against South Carolina’s attempt to declare federal tariff laws null and void within its borders. While the bill was controversial and viewed by some as executive overreach, it was seen by nationalists as a necessary action to preserve the integrity of the Union.213