AP U.S. History
APUSH 4.8: Jackson and Federal Power
Shared by Ashton · Oct 28, 2026 · 2 plays
Practice for Topic 4.8: the Tariff of Abominations, Calhoun and nullification, the Force Bill, the Bank War and pet banks, the Panic of 1837, Indian removal and the Cherokee cases, the Trail of Tears, and “King Andrew” and presidential power. 16 questions with an explanation for every choice.
16 questions across 4 sections. After every answer you’ll see why each choice is right or wrong, not just the one you picked.
Sample questions
Open a question to see the answer choices and the correct answer.
The Tariff of 1828 became known as the 'Tariff of Abominations' because
- A. it was the first tariff ever passed by Congress
- B. it put a tax on all cotton exported to Britain
- C. it lowered rates so far that Northern factories closed
- D. its very high rates angered Southerners who said it helped Northern industry at their expense ✓
Correct answer: D. Jackson's allies wrote high rates partly to win votes in the Middle Atlantic and West. South Carolina saw it as unjust to the South.
In the South Carolina Exposition and Protest (1828), John C. Calhoun argued that
- A. a state could declare a federal law it judged unconstitutional void within its borders ✓
- B. the federal government could abolish slavery in the states
- C. tariffs should be raised to protect Southern factories
- D. the Supreme Court alone could decide whether federal and state laws were constitutional
Correct answer: A. Calhoun, then Jackson's vice president, wrote it anonymously. This is the doctrine of nullification.
The following is adapted from an 1831 address by Vice President John C. Calhoun. | The federal government was created by the states, as separate and sovereign communities, and not by the American people as a whole. The Constitution is a compact among those states. When the federal government goes beyond the powers the states gave it, each state has the right to judge that act and to stop it from taking effect within its borders. — The argument in the excerpt would most likely have been opposed by
- A. South Carolina's legislature in 1832
- B. Daniel Webster ✓
- C. Robert Hayne of South Carolina
- D. Thomas Jefferson in the Kentucky Resolutions
Correct answer: B. Webster told Hayne the Union was a creation of the people and that federal law was supreme. Jackson's 1832 proclamation took the same view.
The following is adapted from an 1831 address by Vice President John C. Calhoun. | The federal government was created by the states, as separate and sovereign communities, and not by the American people as a whole. The Constitution is a compact among those states. When the federal government goes beyond the powers the states gave it, each state has the right to judge that act and to stop it from taking effect within its borders. — Calhoun's position in the excerpt was motivated mainly by
- A. a wish to strengthen the Second Bank of the United States
- B. a desire to join a war against Britain
- C. support for Indian removal in the Northwest
- D. South Carolina's anger over protective tariffs and fears that federal power could later threaten slavery ✓
Correct answer: D. Planters felt tariffs drained the South. They also worried that a federal government that could overrule them on tariffs might act on slavery.
At an 1830 dinner, Jackson toasted 'Our Federal Union—it must be preserved,' and Calhoun answered 'The Union, next to our liberty, most dear.' The exchange showed
- A. that Jackson and Calhoun fully agreed on the tariff and on how to handle South Carolina
- B. a split between Jackson and his vice president over nullification ✓
- C. that Jackson planned to abolish slavery
- D. that Calhoun was about to join the Whig Party
Correct answer: B. Jackson signaled he would not accept nullification. Calhoun put states' liberty first and resigned as vice president in 1832.