D&C 87 and the South Carolina Nullification Crisis

You may have heard that Joseph Smith predicted the Civil War in D&C 87. This revelation was given on 12/25/1832, and specifies that South Carolina was going to be the epicenter for the Civil War.

What you may not have known about was the Nullification Crisis After the War of 1812, the country suffered from an economic depression that lasted well into the 1820’s, and South Carolina particularly felt it’s effects. Many South Carolinians blamed European manufacturing for the downturn. In 1828 a tariff was enacted by John Quincy Adams that helped the north, but really fucked over the south, and South Carolina didn’t like that. There were tons of protests in South Carolina over the tariff, but they were hopeful that the new president, Andrew Jackson, would reverse the tariff.

When Jackson failed to act (and later strengthened the tariff), South Carolina decided to defy the federal government and nullify the tariffs within its state boundaries. After some political back and forth, Congress decided on a compromise, but South Carolina didn’t agree with it. South Carolina enacted state law allowing them to nullify the compromise. South Carolina decided it would take up arms to defend this law. In response, the federal government responded by passing a law authorizing military force against South Carolina to force them to comply.

On 3/15/1833 (3 months after Joseph Smith’s prediction), South Carolina decided to stand down.

The Nullification Crisis is an example of the growing animosity between the North and the South, which eventually erupted into a civil war. However, Joseph Smith’s prediction is a failed one based on the political climate that was happening right at that time.