Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did Congress pass the Force Bill and the Compromise Tariff on the same day?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

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.

Congress passed the Force Bill and the Compromise Tariff of 1833 on March 2, 1833, as a dual strategy to resolve the Nullification Crisis and prevent potential civil war.12

The two measures served complementary roles in addressing the standoff between the federal government and South Carolina:

The Force Bill: This legislation asserted federal authority by granting President Andrew Jackson the power to use military force to collect import duties if a state refused to comply with federal law. It was a firm response to South Carolina’s threat of secession and its declaration that federal tariffs were null and void.341
The Compromise Tariff: Engineered by Senator Henry Clay, this act substantially reduced import duties over a 10-year period. It provided a diplomatic path to appease Southern concerns regarding the high cost of goods, offering South Carolina a face-saving way to back down from its radical stance.421

By passing both, Congress simultaneously upheld the supremacy of the Union through the threat of force while providing the economic relief necessary to de-escalate the conflict.12