Tariff of 1832

There are times when you have to take steps towards rectifying what you had done earlier. Even the greatest of personalities and nations have had to do that. Allow me to give you an example from American history. First there was the tariff of 1828, which was called the Tariff of Abominations by the Southerners.

It was a protectionist tariff, meant to protect the industry in the northern part of the USA. As the Southerners were not happy with this and felt exploited, they opposed it. Ultimately, the tariff of 1832 was passed as a remedy to the tariff of 1828.

Enacted on July 14, 1832, this was referred to as a protectionist tariff in the United states. The purpose of this tariff was to remedy the conflict created by the tariff of 1828. As compared to the hype, it proved to be unsuccessful in fulfilling the demands of the South.

Its predecessor pushed as high as 45% of the duties on citizens, while the 1832 act bought it down to 35%. For instance, the duty on hemp, which had been $60 a ton in 1828, was reduced to a duty of $40 as a result of compromise.

Even then Southerners were not happy with it. Eventually, their unrest and dissatisfaction was what led to the nullification crisis.

As mentioned earlier, the Southern states were not happy even after the 1832 act. As a result, a sectional crisis, called nullification crisis, arose during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. As per South Carolina's Ordinance of nullification the federal tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were declared unconstitutional in November 1832.

As a result, they were declared null and void within the 'sovereign' boundaries of South Carolina, because the reductions provided for in the tariff of 1832 were unacceptable for South Carolina. South Carolina was the state which had especially borne the brunt of the economic downturn in the 1820s.

The result was that by 1828, the politics of South Carolina increasingly revolved around the issue of tariffs. In Washington, the President and the Vice President themselves differed on the issue. John Calhoun, the Vice President. later quit his office to defend the nullification process.

In 1833, a bill authorizing the President for usage of military force against South Carolina was passed as a preemptive measure. Consequently, negotiations led to a tariff being passed that was accepted by South Carolina. Finally, South Carolina repealed its Nullification Ordinance on March 11, 1833.

Significantly, this was the first major clash between the interests of Northern and Southern Americans.