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What military preparations did South Carolina make to resist tariff collection?
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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, South Carolina took several steps to resist federal tariff collection and prepare for potential conflict:
- Legislative Nullification: Through the Ordinance of Nullification adopted in 1832, the state declared the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 to be "null, void, and no law" within its borders.1
- Legal and Administrative Barriers: The state forbade any appeals of its nullification measures to federal courts and required all state officeholders to take an oath of support for the ordinance.1
- Threat of Secession: South Carolina explicitly threatened to secede from the Union if the federal government attempted to enforce the collection of tariffs by force.21
- Military Readiness: In response to federal pressure and the movement of troops toward its borders, the state legislature declared that it would "repel force by force" and maintain its liberty at all hazards.1
While the state prepared to resist, it ultimately rescinded its nullification of the tariff laws following the passage of the Compromise Tariff of 1833, though it symbolically nullified the Force Bill as a matter of principle.31