The Abominable Tariffs: A Case Study

This tariff was created to protect American factories in the north and was a tax placed on imported goods. But the south was highly upset because they felt that this tariff only supported the north and they had to pay it also. Document F also sheds light on sectionalism because Jefferson talks about a geographic line that fills him with terror, also known as the 36,30 line created by Henry Clay. This line determined if the upcoming states from the Louisiana Territory would have slavery or not. The issue of slavery was a major player in the growth of sectionalism between the north and the south. Moreover, the government had problems with the states. Maryland wanted to tax the national bank which led to the case of McCulloch v. Maryland that was sent to the Supreme Court (Document D).Similarly are the revolts seen in Document G which resulted in throwing 50-60 leaders from South Carolina in jail but there were still prisoners stating that there are enough people to carry the work into execution. Overall, the America had too much problems on their hands to be going through an "Era of Good Feelings".

In the acclaimed novel, The Choice: A Fable of Free Trade and Protectionism, author Russell Roberts, an economist and writer, tells a fictional story that enlightens readers to the wonders of the economic system. Russell provides an insightful, thought provoking story that illustrates protectionism and free trade, while making the concepts and arguments easy to comprehend.

The North and South were very different from each other. Industrialization was happening in the North, while large-scale cotton planting was happening in the South. The South sold their crops to England in exchange for inexpensive factory-made goods produced in Europe. As a result of industrialization, Northern Factories began producing many of the goods that were already being produced in Europe. Thus, the North started to tax the South on any goods imported from Europe, so that the South would buy goods from the North. These unfair taxes angered the South, and contributed largely to its anti-North attitude (Civil War

In 1828, Andrew Jackson passed a tariff that put a tax on foreign goods. This angered the South and they believed he was favoring the North.

Another minor step leading to the war, was a disagreement over tariffs on imports and exports. In 1828 a tariff was passed that tried to help New England manufacturers. The tariff was as high as 45% to 50% of the original European prices. The north wanted the higher tariffs so that their products could compete on the same level as foreign products which were much cheaper. Opponents of the tariff called it the tariff of abomination. Southerners strongly opposed the tariff because they exported cotton and other materials to Europe, in exchange, European goods

To avoid military confrontation, Congress passed a different tariff that South Carolina was able to accept. The South took such measures because they felt that the North (Washington) was attacking them by passing laws that favored one section of the country’s economy over theirs. South Carolina later repealed their Nullification

A tariff is a tax on foreign goods. The price of foreign goods increases with the tax, and provides revenue for the government, which makes American products more appealing. This is because the foreign goods that were cheaper are now more expensive. However, why was there a need for tariffs in the early 19th century (1800)? The reason is because, American industries were young, Britain flooded the US market with cheap goods after the War of 1812, and foreign goods have been often cheaper. In order to make sure American businesses could prosper, there had to be tariffs on the foreign goods. The tariff of 1816 was the first substantial protective tariff of the American System; supported by Henry Clay, but opposed by John C. Calhoun and Southern cotton growers. The tariff of 1824 increased the rate of the protective tariff and opposition in the South grew. In the Tariff of 1828 (Tariff of Abominations), there were higher protective tariffs to New England Mills; and Southerners were outraged including Calhoun.

Northerners supported tariffs because tariffs helped them compete with British factories. The South’s economy was based on farming. Southerners imported their manufactured goods. Tariffs made imported goods more expensive for southern farmer which led to their opposition. Angry Southerners called the tariff the Tariff of Abominations. The new tariff added fuel to the growing sectional differences plaguing the young nation.

The north was becoming increasingly industrialized while the south was still mainly agricultural. Congress passed a tariff that benefitted the producers of cloth, mostly north, however it shrunk the demand for southern raw cotton. The south were infuriated and looked to Vice President, John C. Calhoun, for support against the "tariff of abomination." Calhoun supported the first tariff, however, if he ever wanted a future political career he needed to rethink his position. Calhoun proposed the idea that the power of states should be greater than the federal. South Carolina then believed they had the right to nullify the tariff. Jackson who did not approve of nullification threatened to send troops in. He also forced Calhoun into resigning his position. Meanwhile, South Carolina threatened to secede the union. Jackson was granted a bill from congress to enact and send troops in, however, Henry Clay revised the tariff before armed confrontation was

Political tension between the North and the South started early when there was disagreement over Henry Clay’s American System. The American System imposed tariffs to support northern manufacturing, federally funded roads and canals, and supported the National Bank. Northerners were in support of the American System but the South wasn’t on board with the plan. This protective tariff was a tax on imports, and since the South was receiving most of the imported goods, they got the brunt of the tariff. The South believed it was unfair that it was putting money into the North’s industrial economy when the South was barely making enough revenue to support itself. While the South provided the Northern industries with most of the raw materials they needed, the price the North paid for these things were nothing compared to what the South had to pay for the manufactured goods the North produced. The opposition to the American System was so strong that South Carolina declared the tariffs void and threatened to leave the Union. But Andrew Jackson worked with South Carolina and the Union remained whole. This was the Nullification Crisis of 1832. The two regions clashed politically too. While the North became generally

Everyone was hoping Andrew Jackson would lower tariffs once he became president. When Andrew Jackson did not address tariffs South Carolina decided to take charge. A convention place in South Carolina in 1832. It ruled that the tariffs of 1828 and and 1832 were unconstitutional and not enforceable in South Carolina after February 1, 1833. Just before this date Andrew Jackson created a force bill that allowed him to use military forces against South Carolina. He then created a new negotiated tariff for South Carolina, which was passed by congress.

     The Tariff of Abominations or Tariff of 1828 was one of the more famous acts passed by Congress. Adams had been a strong advocate for a higher tariff. Andrew Jackson’s supporters in Congress modified Adam’s original tariff bill to include much higher taxes on imported raw materials as well. They believed that the northern legislators and Adams supporters would never vote for such legislation since it would mean that New England manufacturers would pay much higher prices for their raw materials. However the bill passed and consumer prices for a selection of goods increased a whole lot. (Benton 232).

The Tariff of 1828 raised taxes and the Southerners did not like this at all. South Carolina threatened to leave the union if the taxes were not lowered. Calhoun wanted to nullify the taxes in South Carolina, but Jackson threatened to bring military forces to South Carolina to solve the problem.

Before the Civil war occurred, there were numerous economical reasons to why the South should have been able to secede. One of these examples is the tariff law. The importance of the tariff law was to collect money from both the North and the South to raise money funded for projects and such for the

The North’s actions of abolishing slavery and enacting tariffs caused the South to fight in hopes of preserving their way of life and economy. Plantations in the South were only successful because of slavery. Without the slaves helping them create the abundance of cotton, the South would have no economy. The country’s economy would be greatly altered if slavery was eliminated both from a consumer and producer perspective. When the North did announce that they wanted to completely eradicate slavery, the South was taken aback due to the fact that the whole country would not function without slavery and the cotton produced. The North wanted the South to industrialize but the South replied “… we must ever continue to be, wholly dependent upon agriculture and commerce (South Caroline Protest Against the Tariff of 1828).” The climate in the South did not allow for the same industrialization to occur as it did in the North. Plantations and their productions of cash crops were booming in the South and the northern frontier was too small of a market, therefore leading them to sell to foreign countries. This caused the North to enact tariffs and in order to prevent the South from being too successful and lose them as a market. The North ended up petrifying the Southerners into fighting a war in order to preserve their way of life and thriving economy.