James Madison opposed Nullification because he knew that the reasons he had pushed for Congress to be given power to regulate trade with foreign countries included his desire that Congress should be able to protect select domestic industries. In other words, although he believed that the tariff laws were unduly interventionist, he insisted they were constitutional. For a full account of Madison’s thinking about these questions, from the 1770s to his death in 1836, please consult my JAMES MADISON AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA.
