How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
And whereas the said ordinance prescribes to the people of South Carolina a course of conduct in direct violation of their duty as citizens of the United States, contrary to the laws of their country, subversive of its Constitution, and having for its object the instruction of the Union—that Union, which, coeval with our political existence. (4)
Jackson lays the political smackdown here. He's calling the Nullies bad citizens, constitution-haters, and the bringers of national destruction. Harsh. But he sees this as a potential Union-destroying crisis.
Quote #2
I consider, then, the power to annul a law of the United States, assumed by one State, incompatible with the existence of the Union, contradicted expressly by the letter of the Constitution, unauthorized by its spirit, inconsistent with every principle on which It was founded, and destructive of the great object for which it was formed. (13)
Jackson wasn't much one for shades of gray in his public statements.
Quote #3
This objection may be made with truth to every law that has been or can be passed. The wisdom of man never yet contrived a system of taxation that would operate with perfect equality. (16)
This is a "life is unfair and so is politics" kind of statement. Jackson is basically telling South Carolina to stop crying, to get their act together, and to start paying their taxes like everyone else.
Quote #4
The Constitution of the United States, then, forms a government, not a league, and whether it be formed by compact between the States, or in any other manner, its character is the same. It is a government in which all the people are represented, which operates directly on the people individually, not upon the States; they retained all the power they did not grant. (27)
Jackson's Democratic Party was a champion of states' rights. He states in the Proclamation that states have an absolute right to resist laws which are oppressive and clearly constitutional. So why is he fighting with South Carolina about their right to nullify a federal law? Well, he thought they had taken things too far. States' rights were one thing; states claiming the power to decide whether a law is unconstitutional is another. And secession from the Union? Fuhgeddaboutit.
Quote #5
May the Great Ruler of nations grant that the signal blessings with which he has favored ours may not, by the madness of party or personal ambition, be disregarded and lost. (37)
What better way than to de-legitimize someone's arguments than by questioning their motivations for making them? These aren't states' rights matters, Jackson implies, they're just some personal ax to grind on the part of the South Carolina convention leaders. How many times did we see this strategy in the 2016 election? Too many to count. Don't address the issues, just attack the party that brought them up.