The Union at Risk

The Nullification Crisis of 1832-1833, when the state of South Carolina challenged the doctrine of states' rights by refusing to pay national tariffs, was the major crisis of Andrew Jackson's presidency and a central event in antebellum American history. In this clear, authoritative account, Richard E. Ellis shows how the President's swift, decisive response reaffirmed the primacy of the national government and helped to shape Jacksonian democracy.