Tariff of 1828

The Tariff of 1828 was, on the surface, an economic policy aimed at protecting certain American-made products. Tariffs are taxes on imported goods. The taxes raise the price of goods made outside of the United States, in order to incentivize the purchase of American-made products. However, this particular tariff represented far more than just an economic policy. It was a source of great political drama, won Andrew Jackson the presidency, forced the resignation of Vice President John C. Calhoun, elevated future president Martin Van Buren, and laid the foundation for the Civil War that would follow three decades later. To northerners, it was a way to fund infrastructure projects and strengthen the manufacturing industry of the new country. To southerners, it was the “Tariff of Abominations” that represented everything they distrusted and found tyrannical about the federal government. The battle over the Tariff of Abominations was one of the central crises of the presidency of Andrew Jackson. His vice president, John C. Calhoun, strongly objected to the tariff and articulated the theory that states’ rights come before the rights of the federal government. He argued that states therefore have the right to nullify any federal laws they disagree with. He argued that the state of South Carolina could even leave the Union if the federal government tried to enforce the tariff. This Nullification Crisis began to lay the foundation for the Civil War that started 30 years later.