Tariffs of 1816 through 1833
A series of bills were passed through Congress to establish protectionist tariffs between 1816 and 1833.
Contents
Tariff of 1816
Leading up to and during the Napoleonic Wars, trade controls were in place that effectively closed the American market to British manufacturing. Domestic suppliers, especially in the Northeast, gradually came to replace many of these specialty goods. After peace was established however, the much cheaper British goods returned to market.
The Tariff of 1816 was written to protect these new manufacturing special interests. It was a cornerstone of the American System plan pushed by Clay and Adams.
Tariff of 1824
The Tariff of 1824 increased the protective tariffs established by the earlier 1816 bill. Southern congressmen, especially Calhoun, unsuccessfully argued against this bill.
Tariff of 1828
The Tariff of 1828, also known as the Tariff of Abominations, was not written to pass. Rather Calhoun and Van Buren has inserted amendments to place undue burden on both New England industry and Southern agriculture, with the expectation that a free trade coalition would arise.
The bill did pass however, and Adams signed it into law in the last months of his term.
Contrary to expectations, Jackson did not move to repeat or amend the tariff. Calhoun reacted by publishing South Carolina Exposition and Protest, in which he argued for a legal theory that states could nullify an unconstitutional congressional law. This nullification crisis escalated as small 'Nullifier' parties emerged across the South and stormed to power in state legislatures.
South Carolina convened a Nullification Convention in Charleston in November 1832. This and the tariff of 1832 were declared nullified as of the next February, and authorized military force against tax collection. Jackson responded in December with the Proclamation to the People of South Carolina, which declared nullification unconstitutional and threatened use of force.
Tariff of 1832
The Tariff of 1832 was passed in July 1832, in an effort to defuse the nullification crisis. It brought tariffs down substantially, though not to the level of the 1816 bill.
Force Bill
The Force Bill authorized the president to use military force to ensure taxes and duties are collected.
Tariff of 1833
The Tariff of 1833 was a final compromise to settle the nullification crisis. Tariffs were to be brought down to 1816 levels in a schedule, dropping a uniform portion every year over ten years.
The government of South Carolina made no attempt to nullify this bill, effectively ending the crisis.