South Carolina Tariff Analysis

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Pages: 5

The goal of the American system was to come up with an influenced export economy through tariffs and internal improvements. To do this raw materials, specifically cotton, would be transported to Northeast factories where they would be made into textiles. These textiles would then be exported for a profit. The workers in Northeast factories who made these textiles were considered to be cheap labor. Costs were cut even more because these laborers were fed with cheap food imported the west. However, the western and southern farmers who made this cotton and cheap food were hurt greatly by the American System. As more people became farmers, that meant that more and more food was being produced. The surplus of food eventually drove prices down and …show more content…
The tariff of 1832 had an adverse effect on the South Carolina economy while it seemed to benefit other states’ economies. South Carolina viewed the tariff as unfairly implemented on them and also as an overreach of governmental power. South Carolina refused to carry out the tariff because the state claimed it was unconstitutional and hence wrong. The tariff’s unconstitutionality was derived from the fact that the revenue was supposedly being used to fund projects not outlined in the constitution. Moreover, South Carolina claimed the right for nullification of federals laws deemed unconstitutional. Due to the tariff being unconstitutional, the South Carolina legislature stated that the tariff was consequently null and void. Since the tariffs was not constitutional according to the legislature, it would not collect any revenue made by the tariff. The state even claimed it their right to secede if the United States government tried to forcibly make them enact something they deemed unconstitutional. The concept of secession was quite alarming to hear at the …show more content…
Jackson strongly believed that the bank of the U.S. was a corrupt private entity that was damaging to the everyday American. The Second bank of the United States was set to be re-chartered four years early in a bill. The reason for re-chartering the bank early was based in the logic that a bank that is open for longer will be more stable. The higher and longer stability translated into more money over the long term. Some people proposed to Jackson a “carrot for reelection” opportunity that consisted of Jackson supporting re-chartering the bank in exchange for reelection. The re-charter bill passed through Congress easily and almost unanimously, but Jackson vetoed it to everyone’s surprise. The vetoing of re-charter bill was an act of war against bank and proved to others that Jackson would stand by his principals. Jackson vetoed the bill because he thought that the bank was unconstitutional and corrupt. Jackson’s next step against the bank was the removal of deposits. The removal of deposits drastically damaged the bank. Without deposits, the bank starved and people stopped investing money in the bank because it was struggling. Jackson even fired the Secretary of Treasury when he refused to take the U.S revenue out of the bank. Jackson’s plan now was to redistribute the money taken out of the bank and redistribute it to state banks. Jackson essentially created smaller,