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Difficulty: EasyJacksonian Democracy and the Second Party System

Read the excerpt below from President Andrew Jackson’s Proclamation to the People of South Carolina (1832).

"I consider, then, the power to annul a law of the United States, assumed by one State, incompatible with the existence of the Union, contradicted expressly by the letter of the Constitution, unauthorized by its spirit, inconsistent with every principle on which It was founded..."

Which of the following was the immediate cause of the political crisis described in this excerpt?

  1. South Carolina's opposition to a federal protective tariff.Answer
  2. B
    Supreme Court rulings under the Marshall Court that weakened federal authority over the states.
  3. C
    The rapid transition of Southern agriculture to factory-based production during the Market Revolution.
  4. D
    Debates over the creation of the first national bank proposed by Alexander Hamilton.

Answer

South Carolina's opposition to a federal protective tariff.
The correct answer is correct because the Nullification Crisis of 1832–1833 arose directly from South Carolina's passage of the Ordinance of Nullification, which declared the federal protective Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 unconstitutional and unenforceable within the state. This prompted Andrew Jackson to issue his proclamation declaring nullification incompatible with the existence of the Union.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document for context.
The excerpt is from President Andrew Jackson's 1832 Proclamation to the People of South Carolina, which rejects the state's claim that it has the power to annul (nullify) a federal law.
Understanding the source and historical context allows for the identification of the specific event being discussed.
2
Determine the trigger for South Carolina's nullification attempt.
South Carolina nullified the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832, claiming they disproportionately harmed the Southern agrarian economy while favoring Northern industry.
This establishes the direct cause of the political crisis mentioned in Jackson's proclamation.
3
Evaluate the options to find the correct immediate cause.
Opposition to a federal protective tariff is the correct answer, while the other choices represent either incorrect interpretations of historical developments or events from different time periods.
This isolates the correct choice and explains the historical errors in the distractors.

Key Concept

The Nullification Crisis and state challenges to federal authority.
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Topics

Jacksonian Democracy and the Second Party System

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