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The Primary Source: Vice President John C. Calhoun

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The historical context for the primary source, “Vice President John C. Calhoun Argues That Tariffs Disadvantage the South, 1828," is Vice President John C. Calhoun's speech in 1828, where he argues against the tariff system and its negative impact on the Southern states. The speech was likely delivered in a political setting, such as a congressional session or a public gathering, where Calhoun expressed his views on the tariff policy. Vice President John C. Calhoun criticizes tariffs, saying they hurt the South's agricultural economy while benefiting the North's manufacturing industries. He argues that this system favors some regions over others, “So partial are the effects of the system, that its burdens are exclusively on one side, and the …show more content…

The primary source is a speech delivered by Daniel Webster in response to Robert Hayne, a senator from South Carolina, during a debate in the United States Senate in January 1830. The debate centered around the issue of nullification, which was the idea that individual states had the right to nullify or reject federal laws they deemed unconstitutional within their borders. Webster’s quote, “I understand the honorable gentleman from South Carolina to maintain, that it is a right of the State legislatures to interfere, whenever, in their judgment, this government transcends its constitutional limits, and to arrest the operation of its laws,” (Daniel Webster, p. 247), highlights the central issue of the debate, which is the assertion that state legislatures have the right to nullify federal laws if they believe the government exceeded its constitutional authority. This concept caused a major disagreement between people who believed in states' rights and those who supported a strong central government. Senator Daniel Webster asserts that the United States government is created and answerable to the people, not the State legislatures. He emphasizes the Constitution's supremacy as the people's law, granting them the authority to control and modify the government. Webster concludes that the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, should resolve constitutional disputes, strengthening a centralized government for national

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