Regional Conflict in the United States

States` Rights Regional Conflict

Introduction to Regional Conflict

One of the numerous controversies centering around the states’-rights issue was caused by the enactment of the federal tariff laws of 1828 and 1832 (see Tariffs, United States). Several Southern states, led by South Carolina and its eloquent spokesman John Calhoun, regarded these acts as inimical to their interests, and in 1832 South Carolina passed an ordinance nullifying the tariff acts (see Nullification). The threat to the unity of the nation posed by this action was allayed shortly thereafter when Congress enacted a compromise tariff law, and the nullification ordinance was then repealed by the South Carolina legislature. During the two decades following the nullification controversy, the question of states’ rights became a paramount issue, inextricably interwoven with the conflict over the issue of slavery. The election to the presidency in 1860 of Abraham Lincoln, an avowed opponent of the extension of slavery, was viewed by the Southern slaveholders as a direct threat to their constitutional rights, and in the following year they carried the states’-rights doctrine to the extreme of secession. The defeat of the Confederacy in the Civil War marked the final collapse of attempts to arrogate to the states the power to veto or otherwise contravene enactments and policies of the federal government.

The latter half of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century were marked by an almost continuous struggle between the Republican and Democratic parties. The Republican Party was in power in the federal government during most of this period and therefore favored a strong central government. The Democratic Party, on the other hand, supported states’ rights both as a means of curbing the power of the Republicans and as a way of safeguarding the traditional Democratic control over the southern states. This situation was reversed, however, after the election to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, in 1932. In attempting to deal with the prevailing economic depression, Roosevelt extended federal powers far beyond those explicitly granted the federal government under the Constitution. Many of the policies carried out by the federal government under his sponsorship were denounced by conservative opponents of social legislation, including Republicans and Southern Democrats, as abridgments of states’ rights (see New Deal).” (1)

Regional Courts

List of Regional Tribunals and Courts:

• American Courts: American Courts, Court of Justice of the Andean Community, Caribbean Court of Justice, Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Central American Court of Justice, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, NAFTA Dispute Settlement Panels.
• African Courts: African Courts, CEMAC Court of Justice, COMESA Court of Justice, African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, African Court of Justice and Human Rights, Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States, East African Court of Justice, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, OHADA Common Court of Justice and Arbitration, Special Court for Sierra Leone, WAEMU Court of Justice, African Court of Justice (ACJ).
• European Courts: European Courts, Court of First Instance of the European Union, Benelux Court of Justice, Court of Justice of the European Union, European Court of Human Rights, European Free Trade Agreement Court, International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Regional Conflict in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Regional Conflict