The American Civil War is the most studied and most familiar conflict between advocates of states’ rights and the authority of the federal government, but it was not the only such conflict in the nineteenth century. Kentucky senator Henry Clay, a figure somewhat outside of the conflict, constructed a compromise whereby the tariffs would be gradually reduced over a period of years, and both Jackson and the nullifiers agreed to it. As the deadline of February 1 approached, however, both sides realized the possible irreparable harm that could come should violence erupt between South Carolina and the United States government, and they sought a compromise. President Andrew Jackson and others around the country viewed such action as treason, and regardless of the threat of disunion, Jackson publicly issued a statement announcing that he would, if necessary, invade the Palmetto State to collect the federal tax. In the same convention, they forbade the collection of import taxes on foreign goods within the state after February 1, 1833, and warned that any military action to force the collection of duties would cause South Carolina to secede from the Union and form a separate government. Although it had been simmering for several years, the nullification crisis came to a head in November of 1832 when an assembly of South Carolinians declared the federal tariffs of 18 to be unconstitutional.
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