South Carolina Exposition and Protest

South Carolina Exposition and Protest (1828)
by John Caldwell Calhoun

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The South Carolina Exposition and Protest, also known as Calhoun's Exposition, was written in 1828 by John C. Calhoun, during the Nullification Crisis. At the time, Calhoun was Vice President of the United States under John Quincy Adams and candidate for Vice President under Andrew Jackson. The document was a protest against the Tariff of 1828, also known as the Tariff of Abominations. It stated that if the tariff was not repealed, South Carolina would secede. It also stated Calhoun's Doctrine of nullification, the idea that a state has the right to reject federal law. On December 19, 1828, it was presented to the South Carolina House of Representatives. It was not formally adopted by the legislature, nor did it affect the tariff, but a pamphlet of it was published and circulated. Since Calhoun was then both Vice President and a Vice-Presidential candidate, he chose to conceal his authorship. However, South Carolina did adopt the nullification doctrine, nullifying the tariffs and voting to build its own army.Warning: template has been deprecated.

4906South Carolina Exposition and Protest1828John Caldwell Calhoun

EXPOSITION

AND PROTEST,

REPORTED

BY THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE

OF THE

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

ON

THE TARIFF;

READ AND ORDERED TO BE PRINTED,

Dec. 19th, 1828.

COLUMBIA, S. C.

D. W. SIMS, STATE PRINTER
::::::::::::::::::
1829.

The Committee of the whole, to whom were referred the Governor’s Message and various memorials on the subject of the Tariff, having reported, and the House having adopted the following resolution, viz:

“Resolved, That it is expedient to protest against the unconstitutionality and oppressive operation of the system of protecting duties, and to have such protest entered on the Journals of the Senate of the United States—Also, to make a public exposition of our wrongs and of the remedies within our power, to be communicated to our sister states, with a request that they will co-operate with this state in procuring a repeal of the Tariff for protection, and an abandonment of the principle; and if the repeal be not procured, that they will co-operate in such measures as may be necessary for arresting the evil.”

“Resolved, That a committee of seven be raised to call the foregoing resolution into effect:” which was decided in the affirmative, and the following gentlemen appointed on the committee, viz—James Gregg, D. L. Wardlaw, Hugh S. Legare, Arthur P. Hayne, Wm. C. Preston, William Elliott, and R. Barnwell Smith.

The special Committee to whom the above Resolution was referred, beg leave to Report the following Exposition and Protest—

Chapters (not listed in original)

Exposition

This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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South Carolina Exposition and Protest

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