Since the tariff was passed by Congress, your business in the United States has declined to almost nothing. Because of the tax on cloth entering America, your cloth is now far too expensive for Americans to buy. They have no choice but to but the poorer quality American-made cloth. Because the tariff has made your cloth so expensive, the American cloth manufacturers have even raised their prices!

You and anyone who buys cloth in the USA are not happy, but the American cloth manufacturers certainly are! You admire the courage of South Carolina, which has said it will nullify (declared illegal) the tariff, refusing to enforce it in the state.

You are a manufacturer of cloth in America. Before Congress passes the tariff of 1828, you almost went out of business. The British cloth manufacturers were selling their cloth so cheaply in the USA that you could not compete with them. American clothing makers were buying their cloth because it was cheaper and of better quality.

You wrote a letter to your congressman. You argued that the English were selling so cheap just so they could cause you and other American cloth weavers to go out of business. Once that happened, they would raise their prices and the situation would be even worse. You urged Congress to put a tariff on British cloth to protect you from their competition.

The tariff has been very good for you! You can now make a great profit because the tariffs are so high on cloth imported to the United States. Your sales are great and you have even been able to raise your prices some. You also don’t have to worry so much that British cloth is better quality than yours. You can even pay your workers higher salaries.

You have heard that South Carolina has "nullified" (declared illegal) the tariff law, refusing to collect the tariff in the state. You also heard rumors that it is threatening to secede (withdraw from the Union). You are very concerned by this. You think them leaving the Union might cause a war to occur.

You are a cotton plantation owner in South Carolina. Before Congress passed the tariff, the clothing and other items you bought were relatively inexpensive to buy. Most of your clothes were made from high quality, inexpensive cloth from England. Since there are hardly any factories in the South, you have to buy clothes from either the North or England – so people in the South pretty much have to pay whatever prices are charged.

You were not happy when the tariff was passed. Since it put a high tax on cloth imported from England, the people who manufacturer your clothes have to pay a much higher price for the cloth they use. That means they have had to raise prices on clothes they make.

You believe the tariff is an unfair tax. It is designed to protect cloth weavers in the North from competition by British cloth weavers, but it results in you having to pay much higher prices for clothes and other goods. It seems that the U.S. government is becoming more and more "a government of the North, by the North, and for the North!"

You are also worried because you sell lots of your raw cotton to England. The British government has threatened to place a tariff on American cotton if the tariff on cloth is not repealed.

You have written your congressman to protest this unfair tax. You wonder if the South should even stay in the Union if the tariff is not repealed. You strongly support the move by South Carolina to "nullify" (declared illegal) the tariff in the state.

You are President Andrew Jackson’s Vice President. Being from the state of South Carolina, you realize how much Southerners oppose high tariff rates. Because Congress taxes goods imported from other countries, imported goods in America cost more. This only helps manufacturers in the North.

You urge the Southern states to declare the new tariff law "null and void," or illegal, within their borders. You base your idea on the fact that states should not have to accept a national law that favors some states over others. Is not that the same reason that the Founding Fathers declared their independence from England: the King of England was favoring his Parliament in England over the legislative bodies in the American colonies?

You are aware that such actions might destroy the Union, but you also realize how strongly your fellow Southerners feel about this issue. They have to stand up for what they believe in.

You are very concerned when you hear South Carolina has "nullified" (declared illegal) the tariff law, refusing to collect any tariffs in the state. They have also threatened to secede (withdraw from the Union). You greatly fear President Jackson will take military action against your state if this happens.

As President, you understand the point of view of Southerners who are strongly opposed to the tariff. You agree that the tariff favors the North over the South and this is unjust. You believe that tariffs should be reduced, but you are not nearly so radical in your views as your Vice President, John C. Calhoun, and some other Southerners. You believe that the national governemnt has at times favored wealthy Northern businessmen over other sections of the country.

You also believe, however, that the primary responsibility of the President is to preserve the Union. When you hear that South Carolina has "nullified" (declared illegal) the tariff law and also threatened to secede (withdraw from the Union), you are furious. You believe that no state can choose which national laws it wants to obey.. You accuse South Carolina of treason. You order that federal forts in South Carolina be strengthened and send warships to the harbor in Charleston, South Carolina. Privately you threaten to hand John C. Calhoun.

You are determined to take military action, if it is necessary to force South Carolina to accept the tariff law.

One of the nation’s great speakers, you are a senator from Massachusetts. You favor a tariff on imported goods to protect the American manufacturers in your sate from the competition of larger English textile makers. The people in your state feel that they need this protection until they can grow large enough to compete with the English on their own.

You understand that Southerners don’t like the tariff because they feel it causes prices to rise on goods they must buy. However, you believe that they should be willing to accept a law passed by Congress and signed by the President.

Most importantly, you believe that the Union must be preserved at all costs. In one of your most famous speeches in the Senate, you declare, "Liberty and Union, now and for ever, one and inseparable!"

You are very concerned when you hear that South Carolina has "nullified" (declared illegal) the tariff law, refusing to enforce it in their state. Even more disturbing, they have threatened to secede, or withdraw from the Union.

You support President Andrew Jackson as he threatened to take military action.

Your nickname is "The Great Compromiser." Having served in Congress since the age of 20, you have a reputation as being moderate in your views. In your life, you will help the North and South compromise on several difficult issues.

You are in favor of the tariff as a tax that can help America’s manufacturing industry, but you realize that Southerners strongly oppose the tariff and are very angry about it. You believe that America can only be successful if it is united, so you are willing to compromise on the tariff. You believe one way to do this is to gradually lower the tariff rates to satisfy Southerners and give Northern manufacturers time to get ready for a lower tariff.

You strongly believe the North and South should try to get along so that America can remain a strong nation. You urge compromise as a solution to the crisis.

Because you are employed in a factory in New York, you are very much in favor of a protective tariff, a tax on goods coming n from other countries. The tariff makes foreign goods more expensive to buy, and makes it easier for your factory to compete with the great textile makers in England.

Without the tariff, consumers might purchase cheap foreign goods, rather than those produced in America. If that happened, your factory might be forced to close and you would no longer have a job.

With the tariff, your boss can charge more for his goods and may thus pay you a higher salary. You have written your congressman to show your support for this very "pro-American" tax.

You also support President Jackson as he threatens to take military action against South Carolina. The state has "nullified" (declared illegal) the tariff law, refusing to collect tariffs. Like President Jackson, you believe this is treason!

As a senator from South Carolina, you have been a strong supporter of Southern cotton planters. You actively oppose the protective tariff. You believe it protects Northern factory owners and causes Southerners to have to pay higher prices for everything they buy. The government is showing favoritism.

Because the tariff is so unfair to Southerners, you believe the Southern states should "nullify" the tariff law, declaring it to be illegal and refusing to enforce it. If necessary, you believe the Southern states should secede (withdraw from the Union) if the national government is going to make laws that only favor half the country. You have made speeches discussing these matters in Congress, but the senators from the North do not seem to care.

You also believe that if President Jackson tries to force South Carolina to enforce unfair tariff laws that only hurt them rather than help them, the state should take defend itself, even if that means war.