USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Calhoun’s nullification theory was that the United States constitution was based on a compact among the sovereign states, and if the constitution had been established by 13 sovereign states, he reasoned that each state had the right to nullify, or reject a federal law that it considered unconstitutional.

Detailed explanation-2: -A staunch defender of the institution of slavery, and a slave-owner himself, Calhoun was the Senate’s most prominent states’ rights advocate, and his doctrine of nullification professed that individual states had a right to reject federal policies that they deemed unconstitutional.

Detailed explanation-3: -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. There have been three prominent attempts by states at nullification in American history.

Detailed explanation-4: -Vice President John C. Calhoun of South Carolina published the South Carolina Exposition and Protest, responding to the 1828 tariff and setting forth arguments in favor of state nullification of federal laws.