The Nullification Crisis
U.S. HISTORY
Set in Charleston, South Carolina in 1832, this VOXPOP revolves around the question of nullifying the Tariff of 1828. Students take on the roles of Laborers, Plantation Owners, Abolitionists, Northerners and Merchants. After being introduced to the situation, students work with other members of their group to define their values.
Students then debate and vote on how South Carolina should handle three main issues:
Finance - How can we save South Carolina’s economy?
Law - How do we keep South Carolina safe?
Power - Who controls South Carolina: the federal government, or the state?
At the end of the VOXPOP, an epilogue video lays out what actually happened.
GET STARTED
Role-plays take roughly 60-90 minutes for a class to play through. To run the role-play over multiple days, use the link VOXPOP will send you to re-open your session.
Create a different session for each class that you intend to use this role-play with.
Not sure how sessions work? Feel free to create a session and step through it to get a feel for the role-play. You can create as many sessions as you need.
PREPARE TO LEAD THE ROLE-PLAY BY REVIEWING THIS OUTLINE
OUTLINE
The VOXPOP software will deliver this content to students during the role-play. Use this outline to familiarize yourself with the content of the scenario, the roles students will be assigned and the choices they will be asked to make.
DETAILS
Students: 6 to 50
Running Time: 70-90 minutes (the role-play can be broken into multiple sessions)
FACILITATION GUIDE
BACKGROUND
This video provides historical context.
ROLES
Students are assigned to the following groups:
Plantation Owner
Plantation Owners feel trapped by a new federal tariff that helps the North and hurts the South. They say that the tariff is unconstitutional, and we should ignore it!
Merchant
Merchants say that ignoring the tariff breaks federal law. This could start a civil war!
Northerner
Northerners say that every state makes sacrifices to be part of the union. States can't ignore federal laws; if they did, the country would fall apart!
Laborer
Laborers fear the growing unrest between Black and White people in South Carolina. They worry that another slave rebellion will wipe out life as they know it.
Abolitionist
Abolitionists say that the tariff is only an excuse: what Plantation Owners really care about is slavery. They fear that if the state ignores the federal tariff now, they'll ignore future federal laws against slavery.
THE ISSUES
These videos will provide students with more detailed background on specific issues.
Finance
How should we save South Carolina's economy?
Proposals students consider:
Buy Local Goods
Encourage Carolinians to buy only Southern goods.
Nullification
Declare the tariffs unconstitutional and stop paying them. S.C. will reject a federal law but remain part of the union.
Law
How do we keep South Carolina safe?
Proposals students consider:
More Arrests in Charleston
Demand more law enforcement to punish small crimes like loitering and public drunkenness.
Stop Citizen's Arrests
Deny civilians the power to arrest or detain another person if they see them committing a crime.
Power
Who should get the final say: the federal government, or the state?
Proposals students consider:
Build a South Carolina Army
Unlike the S.C. militia, which can be commanded by the president, the new army will only be controlled by the state.
Stop Jailing Black Sailors
The federal government commanded us to stop jailing Black sailors because it violates a trade agreement with Britain.
EPILOGUE
A short video that lets students know what really happened.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Here are a few suggested discussion questions to pose at the end of the role-play. Please feel free to use your own.
How much power should the federal government have?
What responsibility do regular citizens have to uphold or enforce the law?
CREDITS
Production
Jenny Lim
Mattia Romeo
Greg Trefry
Testing & Evaluation
Camillia Matuk
Talia Hurwich
Sources
William W. Freehling, Prelude to Civil War: The Nullification Controversy in South Carolina, Oxford University Press, 1966.
Media
Library of Congress
National Gallery of Art
Wikimedia Commons
Special Thanks
Tamara Gordon
Julie Grindstaff
Mordecai Moore