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Tariff of Abominations Timeline
(1828–1833)The Tariff of Abominations was a highly protective U.S. tariff enacted in 1828 that intensified tensions between the industrial North and agricultural South, especially South Carolina. More Less
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Origins of protectionism
Continental Blockade disrupts trade
1806 - 1814
During the Napoleonic Wars, the Continental Blockade disrupted normal trade and contributed to British manufacturers offering goods in America at low prices. American manufacturers often could not match those prices, helping create pressure for protective tariffs.
Image source: Continental System
American manufacturers face European competition
1806 - 1814
The wartime influx of inexpensive European manufactured goods exposed American producers to intense competition. This economic pressure became part of the background to a series of protective American tariffs.
Image source: History of tariffs in the United States
First protective tariff passes Congress
1816
Congress passed the first protective tariff in 1816. It formed an early federal response to foreign competition and began the sequence of tariff measures that eventually led to the Tariff of 1828.
Image source: Tariff of 1816
Protective tariff series expands
1816 - 1828
The tariffs of 1816 and 1824 were part of a broader series of American protective measures shaped by the commercial disruptions of the Napoleonic Wars and the difficulty American manufacturers faced competing with inexpensive European goods.
New England faces cloth imports
1824
In 1824, New England was described as being on the verge of bankruptcy because of the influx and use of European cloth. The situation strengthened arguments for higher protective duties.
Tariff rates increase
1824
Congress increased tariff rates in 1824. This measure continued the protectionist policy begun in 1816 and preceded the still higher duties associated with the Tariff of 1828.
Image source: Tariff of 1824
Nullification crisis
Tariff dispute escalates toward civil war
1828 - 1833
Southern denunciation of the tariff escalated into a threat of civil war during the nullification crisis of 1832–33. The dispute became a direct confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government.
Image source: Nullification crisis
Tariff of 1832 is enacted
Jul 14, 1832
On July 14, 1832, President Jackson signed the Tariff of 1832 into law. The measure made some reductions in tariff rates, but it did not resolve Southern opposition.
Image source: Tariff of 1832
South Carolina rejects the reductions
Jul 14, 1832
South Carolina considered the reductions in the Tariff of 1832 too small. In its view, the objectionable “abominations” of the 1828 tariff were still present.
South Carolina calls a convention
Nov 1832
In November 1832, South Carolina called for a convention. The action moved the dispute from political protest toward formal state action against the federal tariff laws.
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Key Facts
- Congress passed the tariff on May 19, 1828, raising duties on imported manufactured goods, iron, textiles, and other products.
- Southern critics called it the “Tariff of Abominations” because they believed it unfairly benefited Northern manufacturers at Southern consumers’ expense.
- The tariff contributed to the Nullification Crisis, when South Carolina argued that a state could reject an unconstitutional federal law.
- Vice President John C. Calhoun anonymously defended nullification in the 1828 South Carolina Exposition and Protest.
- The crisis eased after Congress passed the Compromise Tariff of 1833, which gradually reduced tariff rates.
Source
This Tariff of Abominations timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.
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