Question

1. john c. calhoun, vice president from south carolina, adopted the doctrine of nullification. where did he get this idea from?
2. what was his argument for nullification?
3. what was the south carolina nullification crisis?
4. how did jackson respond?
5. how was it resolved?
6. what other event in american history occurred when a state was rebelling against a federal law?

Explanation:

1. For question 3: The nullification idea traces to the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798), written secretly by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, which argued states could reject unconstitutional federal laws. Calhoun built on this framework.
2. For question 4: Calhoun argued the U.S. was a compact of sovereign states. If the federal government passed an unconstitutional, oppressive law (like the tariff), states had the right to nullify it within their borders to protect their interests.
3. For question 5: In 1828 and 1832, Congress passed high tariffs that heavily harmed Southern cotton exporters (like South Carolina). South Carolina declared these tariffs null and void within the state, threatening secession if the federal government tried to enforce them, creating a major sectional crisis.
4. For question 6: President Andrew Jackson rejected nullification as treason. He issued a proclamation asserting federal law supremacy, and pushed Congress to pass the Force Act, which allowed him to use military force to enforce the tariffs in South Carolina.
5. For question 7: A compromise tariff (the Tariff of 1833) was passed, gradually lowering tariff rates over 10 years. South Carolina repealed its nullification ordinance, and later also repealed its rejection of the Force Act, ending the crisis.
6. For question 8: The most prominent event is the American Civil War (1861-1865), triggered by 11 Southern states seceding (in part over disputes about federal laws related to slavery and states' rights) and rebelling against federal authority.

Answer:

1. He derived the idea from the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798), which put forward the concept that states could reject unconstitutional federal laws, and he expanded on this framework.
2. He argued the U.S. was a compact of sovereign states, so states had the right to nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional and oppressive to their interests.
3. It was a sectional crisis starting in the late 1820s-early 1830s, where South Carolina declared the federal protective tariffs of 1828 and 1832 null and void within its borders, threatening secession if the federal government enforced the tariffs.
4. Andrew Jackson called nullification treason, issued a proclamation affirming federal law supremacy, and secured passage of the Force Act to allow military enforcement of the tariffs.
5. The crisis was resolved with the Tariff of 1833, which gradually reduced tariff rates over a decade; South Carolina repealed its nullification ordinance in response.
6. The American Civil War (1861-1865), sparked by Southern states seceding and rebelling against federal authority over issues including states' rights and slavery-related federal policies.