Personal Liberty Laws
Nullification Through Noncooperation Rests on Rock-Solid Legal Ground
Nullification feels a little rebellious. Declaring that a state can refuse to cooperate with the federal government seems like an act of defiance. Perhaps this explains why even many supporters of nullification continue to labor under the misconception that it’s...
Heroes of Liberty: Charles Langston and the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue
Northern abolitionists who defied federal law to assist accused runaway slaves demonstrated the kind of courage we need today. They weren’t deterred by [insert horrible thing the feds will do here]. They recognized the risk – and they acted anyway. On September 13,...
When Nullifiers Were Abolitionists: Vermont vs the Fugitive Slave Act
Critics of nullification are fond of bringing up the Nullification Crisis of 1832 involving John C. Calhoun’s misguided and warped interpretation of what the doctrine meant as advocated by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. Many, however, are unfamiliar with another...
Abolitionists for Nullification: Four Important Historical Facts
Opponents of nullification often try to associate it with the slaveholding states of the 19th century South by claiming the issue was “settled by the civil war.” The implication is that the South wanted to nullify, and since they lost the war,...