In 1832 the United States of America were facing an economic crisis along with national debt that would result in the instillation of a nationwide tariff on goods. However, with the southern states already facing problems of their own with the decreasing prices of cash crops like cotton, this was not exactly a well received ordinance. Governor Robert Y. Hayne of South Carolina would take the stand and attempt to denounce the tariff as a violation of the states sovereignty and demanded that states should have the right to nullify federal laws as well as threatening secession if these demands were not met. Meanwhile, President Andrew Jackson would take a strong oppositional stance citing that the Union was well within the laws of the constitution to impose tariffs and thus any attempt to nullify them or any other federal ordinance is illegal and liable to acts of force. In Hayne’s statement, he immediately goes onto the attack. Already in his first paragraph he asserts his goal to, “...uphold the SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY OF THE STATE…”(Hayne, 1) For him, he is loyal to his state first and country second and expresses that the Union is holding South Carolina in a state of, “Colonial vassalage,”(Hayne, 2) due to the abuses of the …show more content…
He also states that while times are hard now, the actions being done are once again for greater good of the state and are having a positive effect on the problems the nation as a whole are facing.(Jackson, annotation) He also says that a, “change of public opinion has commenced”(Jackson, 13) and that hopefully these issues will be resolved in a constitutional matter.(Jackson, annotation) However, Hayne has no such tones of sympathy of anyone except the citizens of South Carolina and once again states that a continuation of such actions is an oppression to the people.(Hayne,