What changes did the Tariff Act of 1832 make to earlier tariff rates?

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Jackson's “Proclamation to the People of South Carolina” — 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.

The Tariff Act of 1832 was enacted by Congress to address the intense opposition from Southern states regarding the high duties imposed by the Tariff of 1828.

While the 1828 act had raised duties to unprecedented levels—such as increasing the tax on hemp to $45 per ton—the Tariff Act of 1832 provided some relief by lowering these rates. For instance, the duty on hemp was reduced from the 1828 level back to $40 per ton. Despite these adjustments, the act failed to satisfy Southern critics, who remained deeply opposed to the protectionist policies that favored Northern manufacturers at the expense of the Southern agricultural economy. This dissatisfaction ultimately fueled the Nullification Crisis, leading to further legislative action through the Compromise Tariff of 1833, which implemented more substantial rate reductions.1