Force Bill for kids
The Force Bill was
passed by Congress on March 2, 1833, during the Nullification Crisis
and authorized President Jackson to
use military force against any
state that resisted the protective tariff laws. The Force Bill
extended executive power. What had led the President to take the
drastic action of passing the Force Bill that
authorized the
President to use whatever force necessary to suppress insurrections
(rebellions)?
Reason for the
Force Bill: Protective Tariffs
The Force Bill was
passed by President Andrew Jackson following the actions of the
South Carolina legislature in response to a series of
protective tariff acts. These laws (taxes) were designed to
raise money and protect the nation's goods from cheaper priced
foreign items. These tariffs were opposed by
the states in the South, which being predominantly
agricultural, and reliant on the North and foreign countries for
manufactured goods, saw the protective tariffs as damaging to their
state's economy.
South Carolina were particularly fierce in their opposition and
declared the tariffs were unconstitutional. Refer to
Tariff of 1816
and
Tariff
of 1828 (the Tariff of Abominations).
Reason for the
Force Bill: Actions taken by South Carolina
The first action taken
by South Carolina was issue a document
known as the
South Carolina Exposition
that contended the tariffs were unconstitutional based on a Doctrine
(principle) of Nullification.
The action taken by Andrew Jackson
in response to the opposition was
the reduced Tariff of 1832
but this action failed to pacify the protestors.
The South Carolina legislature then
passed an Ordinance of Nullification declaring the Tariffs of 1828
and 1832 null and void within the state borders of South Carolina.
South Carolina also threatened to secede if the national government
attempted to collect the tariff duties
Reason for the
Force Bill: Andrew Jackson's Nullification Proclamation
The
Nullification Crisis exploded. President Jackson was furious that the
Tariffs had been
"Nullified" by South Carolina and threats of succession had been
made. Jackson issued a warning that he was prepared to enforce the
law. It was called the Nullification Proclamation. Vice President
John C. Calhoun resigned and the Nullification Crisis worsened. President Jackson
asked Congress to give him greater power and on
March 2, 1833 the Force Bill was passed.
Purpose of the
Force Bill
The purpose of the Force Bill
was not only to use military force to enforce the tariff laws but it
also rejected the Nullification Doctrine - the concept of individual
states' rights to nullify federal law or to secede from the Union.
What did the
Force Bill authorize?
The Force Bill
authorized President Andrew Jackson to enforce the protective tariff
laws. The full name of the Force Bill was:
"An Act
further to provide for the collection of duties on imports"
The Force Bill consisted of 8
sections. The most important sections dealing with the following:
● Section
1 of the Force Bill deals with unlawful barriers to the
collections of import duties (taxes)
● Section
2 of the Force Bill expanded the jurisdiction of federal courts
● Section
5 of the Force Bill authorizes the President to use whatever
force necessary to suppress insurrections (rebellions)
● Section
6 of the Force Bill deals with States who refuse to jail
persons imprisoned under Federal law
● Section
8 of the Force Bill is a 'Sunset Clause' stating that the "first and fifth sections of this act, shall be in force until
the end of the next session of Congress, and no longer."
Response to the
Force Bill
The Force Bill clearly
stated the lengths that the government were prepared to go. The
South Carolina legislature was about to nullify the Force Bill as
well. However, a
Compromise Tariff, proposed by Henry Clay, was passed by Congress in
March 1833 that gradually lowered the tariff rates over the next 10
years. The Compromise Tariff was accepted by South Carolina and the
Nullification Crisis was brought to a conclusion.
Importance and
Significance of the
Force Bill
The importance and
significance of the Force Bill was as follows:
●
The
Force Bill contained
the potential conflict caused by the sectional interests of the North and the
South
●
The
Force Bill publicly denied the right of
secession to individual states and deny
individual
states' rights to nullify federal law
●
The Force
Bill extended executive power giving the
President the authority
to
use
military force to suppress rebellions
Summary of the
Force Bill for kids
The Force Bill
consisted of 8 sections the most important of which
are summarized below:
● Section
1 of the Force Bill deals with unlawful barriers
to the collections of import duties (taxes) by:
● ●
Securing ports and harbors for the
protection of duty collectors (tax
collectors)
● ●
Allowing for the detention of vessels and
cargoes to enforce revenue tariffs (laws)
● ●
Preventing the unauthorized removal of
untaxed vessels and cargo
● ●
Authorizing the President to use armed
forces to protect customs officers
● Section
2 of the Force Bill expanded the jurisdiction of
federal courts
● ●
Allowing
injured parties in revenue cases to sue in
court
● ● Considering
property detained by customs officers to be
in the custody of the law, subject to
disposal by court order only
● ●
Criminalizing
anyone who avoids the legal process, in
regaining detained property, as guilty of a
misdemeanor (crime)
● Section
5 of the Force Bill authorizes the President to
use whatever force necessary to suppress
insurrections (rebellions) in with States, or
parts within a state, who employ force, or any
other unlawful means, to obstruct the execution
of U.S. federal law, or interfere with the
process of any Federal court
● Section
6 of the Force Bill deals with States who
refuse to jail persons imprisoned under Federal
law
● ● The
Force Bill authorizes U.S. marshals to jail
such persons in "other convenient places,
within the limits of said state" and to make
provisions for this purpose
● Section
8 of the Force Bill is a 'Sunset Clause'. (A
'Sunset Clause' is a regulation in a law that
provides that the law shall cease to have effect
after a specific date, unless further
legislative action is taken to extend the law.)
The Sunset Clause stated that the:
● ● "first
and fifth sections of this act, shall be in
force until the end of the next session of
Congress, and no longer."
Force Bill for kids - President Andrew Jackson Video
The article on the
Force Bill provides an overview of one of the Important issues of his presidential term in office. The following
Andrew Jackson video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 7th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1829 to March 4, 1837.
Force Bill
●
Interesting Facts about
Force Bill for kids and schools
●
Key events
Force Bill for kids
●
The Force Bill, a Important
event in US history
●
Andrew Jackson Presidency from March 4, 1829 to March 4, 1837
●
Fast, fun, interesting
timeline
about Important events
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Andrew Jackson
●
Force Bill for schools,
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