# The Nullification Controversy in South Carolina

The
Nullification Controversy
in South Carolina
By
Chauncey Samuel Boucher, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of American History in Washington University
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Copyright 1916 By The University of Chicago
All Rights Reserved
Published June 1916
Composed and Printed By The University of Chicago Press Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
TO
PREFACE
To relate the story of the nullification controversy in South Carolina as it is found in the writings of the men who were participants in it, is the object of this monograph. For six years the conflict was bitterly waged and missed being civil war by a narrow margin. So much attention has been given to speculations on the theory of nullification from the standpoint of political science, that the history of the party contest has been neglected; and even from the theoretical viewpoint a detailed study of the views of the contemporaneous supporters and opponents of the doctrine has been neglected. The effort has been made in this treatise to delineate the various shades of party beliefs at all stages of the controversy.
In the search for materials the writer fortunately gained access to files of several of the leading newspapers of the Union and the State Rights parties, representing both the interior and the coastal sections; several valuable pamphlet collections; and the unpublished correspondence and papers of prominent leaders of the opposing ​factions, and of two men most prominently connected with the administration. For the courtesy and kind assistance rendered by the custodians and owners of these valuable materials, the author desires to express his appreciation. He is especially indebted to Professor Claude H. Van Tyne and Professor Ulrich B. Phillips, both of the University of Michigan, for encouragement and counsel most generously given, and to Professor William E. Dodd, of the University of Chicago, who volunteered to read sections of the proof.
In order to facilitate reading, the original pimctuation and capitalization of many quotations have been changed somewhat to make them con- form more to present usage.
C. S. Boucher
St. Louis, Mo. March 1, 1916
CONTENTS :
| chapter | chapter | page |
| I. | The Origin of the Conflict (1824–29) | 1 |
| II. | Nullification Advocated and Denounced (1830) | 46 |
| III. | The First Test of Strength (1830–31) | 88 |
| IV. | A Year OF Campaigning (1831) | 119 |
| V. | The Nullifiers Capture the Legislature (1832) | 164 |
| VI. | Nullification Adopted (1832) | 208 |
| VII. | Jackson and Nullification (1832–33) | 228 |
| VIII. | Nullification Suspended (1833) | 262 |
| IX. | The Compromise Tariff and the Force Bill (1833) | 286 |
| X. | The Test Oath (1833–35) | 316 |
| Bibliography | Bibliography | 367 |
MAPS :
| page |||
| I. | South Carolina Districts and Parishes in 1830  facing | iii |
| II. | Senate Vote on State Convention, 1830 | 108 |
| III. | House Vote on State Convention, 1830 | 109 |
| IV. | Jackson and Anti-Jackson Caucuses, 1831 | 161 |
| V. | Popular Vote on State Convention, 1832 | 203 |
| VI. | Legislature of 1832, for and against Convention | 204 |
| VII. | House Vote on Governor's Counter-Proclamation, and Union Vote in Convention, 1832 | 244 |
| VIII. | House Vote on the Test Oath, 1832 | 245 |
| IX. | House Vote on the Test Oath, 1833 | 320 |
| X. | Popular Vote for Legislature, 1834 | 354 |
| XI. | Legislature of 1834 | 355 |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1955, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 68 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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