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Difficulty: EasyJackson and Federal Power Conflicts

"The Constitution of the United States is, in fact, a compact, to which each State is a party... the General Government, as a creation of this compact, has no right to exercise any power not delegated to it by the Constitution. It is the right of the States, in their sovereign capacity, to judge of the infractions of their compact..."

— John C. Calhoun, South Carolina Exposition and Protest, 1828

Which of the following historical conflicts during the presidency of Andrew Jackson was most directly shaped by the constitutional arguments expressed in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The dispute over the rechartering of the Second Bank of the United States
  2. The resistance of South Carolina to the federal tariffs of 1828 and 1832Answer
  3. C
    The legal battle between the Cherokee Nation and the state of Georgia over sovereign land
  4. D
    The debate over federal funding for infrastructure projects like the Maysville Road

Answer

The resistance of South Carolina to the federal tariffs of 1828 and 1832
The correct answer is correct because Calhoun's argument outlines the compact theory of the Constitution, which asserts that states are the ultimate judges of federal power. This theory directly justified South Carolina's ordinance nullifying the federal tariffs of 1828 and 1832, sparking the Nullification Crisis.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document to identify the core argument.
The author argues that the Constitution is a 'compact' between sovereign states, meaning states have the right to judge and resist unauthorized federal power.
This establishes the state sovereignty framework, commonly known as the compact theory.
2
Connect the identified theory to Jacksonian-era conflicts.
The compact theory was utilized by John C. Calhoun and South Carolina to justify nullification of the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832.
This links the intellectual justification to the specific political event, resolving the question.

Key Concept

The Nullification Crisis and Calhoun's compact theory of state sovereignty.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Jackson and Federal Power Conflicts

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