On December 10, 1832, in response to an ordinance of nullification passed by South Carolina legislators in November, Andrew Jackson issued the Proclamation regarding Nullification. This proclamation rejected the nullifiers’ claims that the states retain sovereignty and the right of secession under the Constitution. Jackson maintained that such action was treason against the federal government. By rejecting the idea that the federal nation was formed by a compact of states, Jackson undercut his credibility as a states’ rights champion. It was his determination to put down what he viewed as treason with the force of the federal military, however, that caused dissension in Jackson’s own party, the Democratic Party, and strengthened his political opposition.

National Republicans, including many of Jackson’s political opponents, heartily approved of the proclamation. The political landscape shifted, however, with Jackson’s attempt to gain congressional authority for using the military against the nullifiers. The Force Bill politically isolated Jackson, split the Democratic Party, and strengthened the nullifiers’ position by uniting those who disagreed with nullification but who feared the expansion of executive power at the expense of states’ rights.

In Congress, the nullification crisis precipitated an alliance between national Republicans and nullifiers, including Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. It also contributed to the formation of the Whig Party by uniting Jackson’s opponents. The crisis did not legitimize nullification but instead strengthened support for states’ rights interpretations of the Constitution, the right of secession, and calls to protect the rights of the minority, specifically those who had an interest in the institution of slavery, from the majority.