Part A: Plan of Investigation I will investigate the question of whether national tariff policy between 1816 and 1832 influenced the development and acceptance of the doctrine of nullification in South Carolina? I will evaluate national tariff policy during the early 1800s and analyze how these tariffs may have influenced acceptance and support of nullification in South Carolina. I will examine South Carolina's economic conditions during this period and compare these conditions with the development of nullification as a political tool. I will also examine the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions to examine early examples of state sovereignty. I will conduct Internet research, examine various books written in different historical periods, examine periodicals, including the Charleston Mercury, and examine letters and speeches written by John C. Calhoun and Andrew Jackson during this period. Part B: Summary of the Evidence Since the Constitution was ratified in 1787, states have struggled with the balance of power between the federal government and individual states. As early as 1798 and 1799, the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures passed resolutions opposing the Alien and Sedition Acts passed by Congress. Although the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions did not use the word “nullification,” the resolutions challenged the power of the federal government. After the War of 1812, cheaper British manufactured goods flooded into American markets. To protect America's "infant industries" from British competition, Congress passed a protective tariff in 1816. Supporters of the tariff argued that, without some protection, America would always be in a position to supply raw materials (such as cotton) to rubble. ...... middle of the paper ......Part E: Conclusion Federal tariff policy certainly played an important role in the development and acceptance of nullification in South Carolina. In fact, in “South Carolina's Exposition and Protest,” John C. Calhoun specifically pointed to the unjust and oppressive nature of tariffs to justify his theories of nullification. Without a doubt, South Carolina's economy clearly suffered between 1816 and 1832 due to falling cotton prices and rising import prices. Justified or not, many South Carolinians blamed the federal tariffs in part because of exaggerated and emotional reporting by the press, Hayne, and McDuffie. As their economic interests were compromised, South Carolinians looked for something to blame and a way to respond. Federal tariff policy was an easy target, and reversal provided a dramatic way to take action.