The Union at Risk: Jacksonian Democracy, States' Rights, and Nullification Crisis

by Richard E. Ellis

The Nullification Crisis of 1832-33 is undeniably the most important major event of Andrew Jackson's two presidential terms. Attempting to declare null and void the high tariffs enacted by Congress in the late 1820s, the state of South Carolina declared that it had the right to ignore those national laws that did not suit it. Responding swiftly and decisively, Jackson issued a Proclamation reaffirming the primacy of the national government and backed this up with a Force Act, allowing him to enforce the law with troops. Although the conflict was eventually allayed by a compromise fashioned by Henry Clay, the Nullification Crisis raises paramount issues in American political history. The Union at Risk studies the doctrine of states' rights and illustrates how it directly affected national policy at a crucial point in 19th-century politics. Ellis also relates the Nullification Crisis to other major areas of Jackson's administration--his conflict with the National Bank, his Indian policy, and his relationship with the Supreme Court--providing keen insight into the most serious sectional conflict before the Civil War.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Richard E. Ellis was a history professor at the University at Buffalo, where he taught from 1974 until 2009. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and both his master's degree (1961) and his Ph.D. (1969) from the University of California, Berkley.

Reviews

[Wilson Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to convince my professor I'm smart! Read this and get this research paper done.

WHAT is Jacksonianism and is it being reproduced by the Tea Party today?

An absolute fantastic book on the nullification crisis! IF you think the arguments for and against States' Rights were about one single event in our History, namely the Civil War, you are mistaken; and you'd be mistaken if you thought it had to do with the Nullification Crisis, as well. The author goes into great and authoritative detail, breaking out the founding fathers and more, to show you WHY our country has been founded, for good or bad, on the fight for States' rights.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting analysis of the Nullification Crisis of 1832-33, but it is written in a rather dry academic style that makes it slow going. I particularly liked Ellis' discussion of how nullification (the idea that any state, based on its sovereignty, may nullify - or refuse to acknowledge - any law passed by the federal government) fits in with various theories of states' rights. He also points out how the convergence of nullification and states' rights theories with efforts to justify slavery helped bring on the Civil War.

[Judi]

Got the ebook from Amazon quite inexpensively. I've read a great deal about both Jackson and Calhoun, so I'm hoping this will give further insight into the antagonism between the two. Plus, with a strong interest in the Civil War, it will be interesting to read about the contemporary reaction to South Carolina's actions.