y newspapers, etc.). Van Buren was responsible for formulating the new campaigning methods which aided in the success of Andrew Jackson elections to the presidency (1828 and 1832).From the beginning of the American governmental system, states’ rights have always been a very divisive issue. It has also produced some of the most zealous antagonism. One such incident involved The Maysville Treaty (internal improvements), which proposed for the federal government to fund a road across Kentucky. This plan was drawn-up and submitted to Congress by Henry Clay. When Jackson saw the bill, he vetoed it with little hesitation, citing that the proposed road was within state boundaries (not interstate) and the federal government had no right to construct it. Again, politicians took opposing sides on the issue. In 1828, the “Tariff of Abominations” was passed (a protective tariff). This time, instead of going along with the tariff, South Carolina declared that they could deem a federal law null and void within their borders. They based their decision on the compact or states’ rights theory, which stated that the states had created the government, therefore they were sovereign, and a state could overrule a federal law within it’s borders. The Webster-Hayne debate (1830) argued the points of both sides. Webster argued the nationalist federal point of view, and articulated the opposition to states’ rights. Hayne argued on behalf of states’ rights supporters. Eventually, the Compromise of 1833 was issued, which lengthened the list of duty-free items, and lowered the tariff over a nine-year period. Along with those, the Force Act was passed, which gave the president the power to call upon the military to occupy posts within a state if needed. Another very prominent issue was slavery. The issue of slavery was clearly split between the North and the South. Over the years, Congress, and the government had tried to a...
