Which Senator from South Carolina was a major player in the sectional debate of 1829-1830 and supported Nullification?

• A. Robert Hayne
• B. Daniel Webster
• C. John C. Calhoun
• D. Andrew Jackson

Answer: (A)

Nullification and the struggle over states’ rights versus federal authority are the key ideas here. In 1829–1830, South Carolina challenged federal tariff laws, arguing that states could treat such laws as unconstitutional within their borders. The public face of that argument in the Senate was Robert Hayne, a South Carolina senator who defended states’ rights and the right of nullification. His stance sparked the famous Webster–Hayne debate in 1830, pitting Hayne against Daniel Webster, who argued for a stronger federal Union. John C. Calhoun, also a South Carolinian and a nullification advocate, was serving as vice president at the time, not in the Senate, and Andrew Jackson was the president opposing nullification. So the senator who most directly represents that 1829–1830 sectional clash and the nullification stance is Robert Hayne.