“The union shall be preserved.”
—Andrew Jackson, 1830
Andrew Jackson made this statement in response to what event?
(1 point)
Responses
South Carolina’s threat to nullify a federal law
South Carolina’s threat to nullify a federal law
growing opposition to the Mexican-American War
growing opposition to the Mexican-American War
Missouri being admitted as a slave state
Missouri being admitted as a slave state
the passage of the American System
The correct answer is South Carolina’s threat to nullify a federal law.
The correct event that Andrew Jackson was responding to when he made the statement "The union shall be preserved" in 1830 was South Carolina's threat to nullify a federal law.
To determine Andrew Jackson's statement in response to a particular event, we can start by understanding the context of the quote. The phrase "The union shall be preserved" indicates a commitment to maintaining the unity of the United States. Therefore, we need to identify an event that threatened the integrity of the Union during Jackson's presidency.
Option 1: South Carolina's threat to nullify a federal law - Nullification refers to the idea that a state can invalidate a federal law it deems unconstitutional. While this concept did pose a threat to the Union, it began to gain prominence in the years after Andrew Jackson's presidency. Hence, it is not the correct answer.
Option 2: Growing opposition to the Mexican-American War - While there was a significant amount of opposition to the Mexican-American War, this was a conflict that occurred after Andrew Jackson's presidency. Therefore, this event is not the correct answer.
Option 3: Missouri being admitted as a slave state - The admission of Missouri as a slave state, known as the Missouri Compromise in 1820, did raise concerns about the balance of power between slave and free states. However, Andrew Jackson was not president at this time, so this is not the correct answer.
Option 4: The passage of the American System - The American System was a series of economic policies proposed by Henry Clay, which aimed to strengthen the national economy through protective tariffs, internal improvements, and a national bank. While it is an important event, it is not directly related to the preservation of the union. Therefore, this is not the correct answer.
By process of elimination, we can determine that the correct answer is:
South Carolina's threat to nullify a federal law. This event occurred during Andrew Jackson's presidency and directly challenged the authority of the federal government, which aligns with his statement about preserving the union.