South
Carolina Nullification
Cockade
c. 1834
|
In opposition to the Tariff Act of 1828, a group of South
Carolinians led by John C. Calhoun declared the tariffs
unconstitutional and thereby null and void within the state.
The tariffs, which imposed higher custom duties on imports and
reduced the value of exports, were detrimental to South
Carolina’s agricultural economy.
At the 1832 SC State Convention, the Ordinance of
Nullification stated that if the federal government employed
force in an effort to enforce the tariffs, South Carolina
would be justified in seceding from the Union. The crisis
was avoided with the passing of the Compromise Tariff of 1833
that reduced the tariffs over a ten-year period.
This
cockade was worn to show support for the Ordinance of
Nullification. Originally the cockade was blue but has faded
to white. |
