USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Nullification, in United States constitutional history, is a legal theory that a state has the right to nullify, or invalidate, any federal laws which they deem unconstitutional with respect to the United States Constitution (as opposed to the state’s own constitution).

Detailed explanation-2: -But what exactly is nullification? Nullification is the constitutional theory that individual states can invalidate federal laws or judicial decisions they deem unconstitutional, and it has been controversial since its inception in early American history.

Detailed explanation-3: -It was driven by South Carolina politician John C. Calhoun, who opposed the federal imposition of the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 and argued that the U.S. Constitution gave states the right to block the enforcement of a federal law.

Detailed explanation-4: -In response to the Tariff of 1828, vice president John C. Calhoun asserted that states had the right to nullify federal laws.

Detailed explanation-5: -(a) John Calhoun penned (b) the South Carolina Exposition and Protest, protesting the Tariff of 1828 and stating Calhoun’s doctrine of nullification, influenced by the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions.