Nullificationand the

Great Three

The Great Triumvirate

Clay, Calhoun, & Webster

Henry Clay• 1777 - Born in Hanover County, VA

• 1797 - moved to Lexington, KY

• 1806 – 1807 - U.S. Senate

• 1810 – 1811 - U.S. Senate

• 1811 –1814 - Speaker of the House• negotiated Treaty of Ghent

• 1815 – 1825 Speaker of the House• American System• Missouri Compromise

• 1825 - 1829 Sec. of State for J.Q. Adams

• 1831 – 1842 - U.S. Senate• created the compromise tariff to

end the Nullification Crisis

• 1849 – 1852 - U.S. Senate• Compromise of 1850

• 1824, 1832, 1844 – Ran for President

“I’d rather be right than president” - Henry Clay

“The Great Compromiser”

John C. Calhoun• 1782 - Born in in Abbeville, S.C.

• 1811 – 1817 - House of Representatives– Member of War Hawks who called for

war with Britain in 1812.

• 1817-1825 Sec. of War for James Monroe– sought censure of Andrew Jackson for

overstepping his authority by invading Spanish Florida in 1818

• 1825 – 1829 - Vice-President for J.Q. Adams

• 1829 – 1832 - Vice-President for Jackson– issued Doctrine of Nullification, resigns

in Dec 1832

• 1832 – 1843 - U.S. Senate

• 1844 – 1845 - Secretary of State for Tyler– Completed the annexation of Texas

• 1845 – 1850 - U.S. Senate– Compromise of 1850

• argued to support slavery and the rights of slave holders; died before the final votes on the parts of the Compromise make it law.

“In looking back, I see nothing to regret and little to correct.”

- John C. Calhoun

“Champion of States’ Rights”

Daniel Webster• 1782 - Born in Salisbury, New

Hampshire

• 1813 – 1817 - House of Representatives

• 1816 - 1823 - Lawyer in Boston, MA– 1819 – McCulloch vs. Maryland

• defended the Bank of the U.S. and won

– 1824 – Gibbons vs. Ogden• defended Gibbons and supported the

idea that transportation is part of commerce

• 1823 – 1827 - House of Representatives

• 1827 – 1841 – U.S. Senate– spoke against nullification in the

Webster-Hayne Debates

• 1836 – Ran for President

• 1841 – 1843 – Sec. of State for Tyler– Webster-Ashburton Treaty, 1842,

settled the boundary between Maine and Canada

• 1845 – 1850 - U.S. Senate– supported the Compromise of 1850

against the wishes of his supporters

• 1850 – 1852 – Sec. of State for Fillmore

“Defender of the Union”

“Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable”

– Daniel Webster

llll

• Between 1812 and 1850 had more impact on American government than any three politicians in American history.

• None were ever elected president

• They left a lasting legacy on American politics– More than the

presidents of their day could match.

The Great TriumvirateHenry Clay John C Calhoun

Daniel Webster

States’ Rights and

Nullification

Sectional Division Country pulled

into 3 sections• Northeast, South, &

West

Regions argued over 3 major economic issues• Public land sale• Internal

improvements• Tariffs

Tariff of Abominations Congress passed a

high tariff in 1828 (under JQA)• Proposed by Martin van Buren

South hated it • They were forced to sell cotton

@ low prices to be competitive • Pay high prices for

manufactured goods

Southern Congressman proposed the doctrine of nullification• Alien and Sedition acts as the

model

Nullification Crisis

Nullification debate grew in the U.S. Senate: Webster-Hayne Debate

Vice-President John C. Calhoun claimed “states should have final authority on whether to follow acts of Congress”

He felt states had the right to judge if a law is constitutional

Congressmen from South Carolina defended & promoted secession

Presidential ResponseSouth hoped for Jackson’s support since he was a supporter of states’ rights

Jackson opposed nullification but wanted to save the Union

South Carolina passed the Nullification Act and continued to threaten secession

“Yes I have; please give my compliments to my friends in your State and say to them, that if a single drop of blood shall be shed there in opposition to the laws of the United States, I will hang the first man I can lay my hand on engaged in such treasonable conduct, upon the first tree I can reach.”

“Our Federal Union: It must be preserved.”

Jackson left Calhoun off his ticket in the 1832 election• Chose Martin van Buren as

his Vice President

Jackson passed the Force Bill • The President could use

force to enforce acts of Congress

Henry Clay proposed a smaller compromise tariff in the Senate• Congress passed it and S.C.

accepted the new tariff

Compromise