Six regions and a student President fight over a tariff that helps some regions and hurts others: make deals, vote, veto, and decide what happens when one region refuses to collect it.
U.S. History / Civics / EconomicsGrades 7-97 roles55 min1 class period
U.S. History / Civics / EconomicsGrades 7-97 roles55 min1 class period
A made-up country's Congress, three rounds of tariff votes
The regions of a made-up country (six, or five in a small room) and a student President fight over a tariff for three rounds of deals, votes and vetoes. One region can refuse to collect it. At the end the class learns the real fight the game was built on, and what the game left out.
Null and Void fits a grade 8 unit on the early republic and sectionalism, the week you reach Jackson, the Tariff of 1828 and the Nullification Crisis. Students need to know what Congress and a veto are; they do not need to know the tariff history, because the game gives them the conflict before the names. Groups run made-up regions: two want a high tariff, two pay for it, two trade their votes for a highway, and a student President signs, vetoes and decides what to do when one region refuses to collect the tariff. Underneath, it teaches who gains and who pays from a protective tariff, how logrolling builds a majority, and how a veto and an override work. The reveal maps every region to the real sections of 1828-1833 and names what pushed South Carolina further than any other state: slavery. It serves US history, civics and economics classes in grades 7-9.
What Students Will Learn
Explain who gains and who pays when a country raises a protective tariff on goods from a trading partner.
Describe how a majority is built by trading votes (logrolling), and how a veto and a two-thirds override work.
Explain what pushed South Carolina to nullify the tariff in 1832, and why the tariff was the occasion rather than the whole cause.
Cases Included
C3 D2.Eco.15.6-8 - explain the benefits and the costs of trade policies to individuals, businesses and society
C3 D2.Eco.14.6-8 - explain barriers to trade and how those barriers influence trade among nations
C3 D2.Civ.4.6-8 - explain the powers and limits of the three branches of government (the veto and the override)
C3 D2.Civ.10.6-8 - explain the relevance of personal interests and perspectives in deciding a public issue
C3 D2.His.14.6-8 - explain multiple causes and effects of events and developments in the past (the debrief)
Ohio Grade 8 Content Statement 26 - governments can impact markets by means of spending, regulations, taxes and trade barriers
Social & Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Aligned to the CASEL framework's core competencies. These are the SEL skills students actively practice while playing.
Relationship SkillsGroups negotiate vote deals face to face, and the President's group travels between regions to broker a road that works for most of them.
Social AwarenessEvery region's payday row shows what a tariff costs or pays each of the others, so a deal means reading another group's stake.
Responsible Decision-MakingThe President decides whether a refusal pays off; the swing region decides which side it votes with.
Flexible Class Sizes
Full room: seven groups
For 12 to 35 students. One to five in each group.
Small room: six groups
For 6 to 11 students. No Pine Hills: 7 of 13 seats passes a bill, 9 beats a veto.
How the Game Plays Out
Roles Your Students Will Play
Click any role to see their background and what they are trying to accomplish.
Loom Valley
Your mills make cloth. Far Shore's cloth is cheaper, so it takes your buyers. A higher tariff makes Far Shore's cloth cost more here, and your cloth sells. You hold 3 seats in Congress.
Goals
A good year is a payday at or above your Good year number on the Payday Chart. Your goal: 2 good years out of 3.
Iron Ridge
Your works make iron. Far Shore's iron is cheaper, so it takes your buyers. You need a higher tariff than Loom Valley does. You hold 3 seats in Congress.
Goals
A good year is a payday at or above your Good year number on the Payday Chart. Your goal: 2 good years out of 3.
Farm Coast
You grow grain and sell it to Far Shore. You buy Far Shore's cloth and iron tools. Far Shore's ships land at your harbor, where the tariff is collected. That harbor is why only you can say No to collecting it. You hold 3 seats in Congress.
Goals
A good year is a payday at or above your Good year number on the Payday Chart. Your goal: 2 good years out of 3.
Pine Hills
You sell timber and grain at home, so Far Shore buying less does not touch you. You pay more for Far Shore's cloth and iron. You can live with a tariff of 30%, so both sides will want your votes. You hold 2 seats in Congress.
Goals
A good year is a payday at or above your Good year number on the Payday Chart. Your goal: 2 good years out of 3.
Ore Country
You dig iron ore and sell it to Iron Ridge. When Iron Ridge does well, you do too. You need the highway to reach a good year. You hold 2 seats in Congress.
Goals
A good year is a payday at or above your Good year number on the Payday Chart. Your goal: 2 good years out of 3.
Cattle Country
You raise cattle and sell beef to Far Shore. A high tariff means Far Shore buys less of your beef. You need the highway to reach a good year. You hold 2 seats in Congress.
Goals
A good year is a payday at or above your Good year number on the Payday Chart. Your goal: 2 good years out of 3.
President
You sign or veto the tariff rate and the highway road that Congress passes. If Farm Coast says No to collecting the tariff, you choose: Enforce or Let it slide. You do not vote.
Goals
Your good year: most regions have a good year and Farm Coast's No does not count. Your goal: 2 good years out of 3.
Hand Each Student Their Own Sheet
One click on the teacher dashboard prints a dossier for every role - background, goals, key facts, and their confidential briefing - plus the primary-source packet and a vocabulary sheet. Print them, or save as PDF, so each student reads their role on paper instead of huddling around one screen. The app still runs the votes and the action; the paper just carries the reading.
Primary Sources
Every role includes real historical documents. Students read them because they need the information to make their case.