The Compromise Tariff of 1833 was designed to achieve what?

• A. Increase tariffs immediately
• B. Maintain tariffs without change
• C. Gradually reduce tariffs
• D. Repeal tariffs entirely

Answer: (C)

The key idea is easing a tense standoff by lowering tariffs over time. The Compromise Tariff of 1833 was crafted to defuse the Nullification Crisis by providing a staged, gradual reduction of tariff rates over about ten years, eventually bringing duties toward the levels of earlier years. This let the federal government preserve some protective tariffs while giving the South relief from the immediate burden that sparked threats of nullification or secession.

It wasn’t about raising tariffs, keeping them the same, or repealing them outright, so those options wouldn’t address the crisis in the same way.