Question

John C. Calhoun's South Carolina Exposition and Protest of 1828 argued that the Tariff of 1828 was unconstitutional and that each state therefore had the right to declare this to be null, void, and no law. Which term best describes the justification of actions such as these?

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

John C. Calhoun's South Carolina Exposition and Protest of 1828 argued for the concept of nullification, which is the idea that a state has the right to declare a federal law to be null and void within its own borders. This concept is based on the idea that the states are sovereign entities and have the right to reject federal laws that they believe to be unconstitutional or otherwise harmful to their interests. Nullification was controversial at the time and is not a widely accepted principle today, as it is generally considered to be in conflict with the supremacy clause of the United States Constitution, which holds that federal law is the supreme law of the land and must be followed by the states.