1. Nullification Ali Conley Harini Muralikrishnan Shivani
Upadhya Max Porazzo Jake Stanton Mark Abraham John Irwin
2. General Nullification is the legal theory that a state has
the right to nullify (invalidate) any federal law that they see as
unconstitutional The state, not the federal government, intimately
determines and interprets the extent of the powerAt the Hartford
Convention, the idea of nullification increasingly became
associated with matters pertaining to slavery. The most famous
statement of the theory of nullification, authored by John C.
Calhoun, appeared in the South Carolina Exposition and protest of
1828. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the Virginia and
Kentucky Resolutions (1798) declared that the states had the right
to nullify laws of the federal government that had overstepped
boundaries
3. Division Divided the national greatly Some states believed
in following all federal laws, no matter what However, some states
believed that they should be able to disregard (nullify) the laws
as a state The Tariffs of 1816 and 1824 divided the nation Hurt the
South greatly Didnt hurt the North as much
4. States Rights vs. Federal Rights Been an issue since the
Revolutionary War Opposition began with the Articles of
Confederation because many people felt it was too weak States
thought that they should be responsible for determining the
constitutionality of laws John Calhoun was one of the main senators
that supported nullification
5. Laws and Decisions Main argument: should states be able to
nullify federal laws? South Carolina decided to nullify federal
laws This infuriated Jackson He threatened to hang John Calhoun
because of this Also threatened accusations of treason If he had
hung all nullifiers, many riots wouldve arose from anger because of
people who believed in the nullification theory Once states started
to support the idea of nullification, the idea of unity in the
nation quickly vanished Laws werent the same throughout the
country
6. Significant Events Tariffs of 1816 and 1824 There were
protectionist Tariffs Southern States economy suffered Northern
States suffered no severe economic loss This helped spark the idea
of Nullification, by John C. Calhoun Jacksons Response Jackson was
angered by this suggestion Threatened accusation of treason
Threatened to Invade South Carolina and hang Calhoun It was no
longer a matter of preventing the Civil War after this, it was just
a matter of delaying it
7. Results Many states realized that nullification wasnt
consistent between states Didnt earn them respect from the federal
government Led to secession This secession of states eventually
became one of the top five reasons for the Civil War
8. What Would We Do? Our group would be inclined to accepting
the federal laws, because municipalities that can veto the power of
the combined municipalities negates the need for a combination of
powers in the first place.
9. Today Nullification, and the concept surrounding it, has
become a hot topic in the current session of Congress. The concept
that 2/3 of states can disagree with a bill signed into law by the
federal government as unconstitutional is becoming more of a
reality. With the healthcare reform in dramatic debate many
citizens either want to repeal the law in its entirety or change
certain aspects before it goes into full effect. Usually the use of
the 2/3 concept is rare and does not have enough support - yet
there is potential to actually repeal the law, formally called the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The current context of
nullification has multiple similarities to the events leading up to
the Civil War.
10. Video
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