How Did Andrew Jackson Deal With The Nullification Crisis

Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) became the seventh President of the United States who served two terms from 1829- 1837. He was a national war hero that served in the American Revolutionary War, a major general in the United States Army that beat back the British in New Orleans during the War of 1812, was nicknamed “old hickory” for his battle hardened toughness, he was victorious over the Creek Indians at Horseshoe Bend, he fought the Seminole Indians back into Florida, captured Pensacola and made Spain give up Florida to the United States, and then became governor of Florida. His political goal was to make the government into a full democratic political system. It meant that it should offer “equal protection and equal benefits”

The crisis was a built up of anger and frustration that South Carolina dealt with because of the “tariff of abominations” in 1828. This put South Carolina at an economic disadvantage because of the high taxes it imposed on imports and exports of goods which favored the Northern states. Jackson’s vice president, John Calhoun from the South Carolina, challenged the tariff to defend his state’s stagnant economy. Instead of secession from the Union he comprised the theory of nullification. Brinkley (2012) pointed out if a state concluded that Congress had passed an unconstitutional law, then it could hold a special convention and declare the federal law null and void within the state (p. 241). South Carolina ended up nullifying the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 which forced Jackson to act with a military buildup because he saw it as treason. Finally, due to newly elected senator Henry Clay, disaster was averted with Jackson signing the compromise tariff bill of

His bitter feelings accompanied him through the military battles that he faced with them. By getting rid of the “Five Civilized Tribes- the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw (all in the South), Jackson and his supporters could expand white settlement and they could also prevent living in close proximity to the tribes (p. 244). The Removal Act of 1830 was passed to help some tribes move with financial assistance, the Cherokee tried to appeal the Act by going through the court system, some just resisted and fought back like the Seminoles in Florida, some fled to North Carolina, and some were rounded up and forced to leave by government troops. Whatever the case, it created a massive removal of tens of thousands of Indians for nearly a decade. The path the Indians took was known as the Trail of Tears because of brutal trek that cost thousands of Indian lives and also for the pain and suffering that they