What is a nullification theory?
When John C. Calhoun championed the Nullification Theory prior to the Civil War, it was the forerunner of what is now called States’ Rights. The argument of the Nullification/States’ Rights theory is that the Constitution is a compact between states, not between people. Jefferson and Madison had argued that the States had the right to Nullify acts of Congress. The states created the national government and gave it only limited power. States’ Rights supporters believe that the state is closest to the citizen and can better reflect their wishes. This was one of the major causes of the Civil War. The South claimed that the North and West were ignoring the rights and needs of the South, therefore the South had the right to nullify its compact with the other states and declare its independence.
