Jackson threw everything in his rhetorical appeals arsenal at South Carolina before he actually tapped into the military's arsenal and threatened war. He reasoned, he implored, he threatened: let's break it down.

Ethos

Jackson wanted to shake up the American political system with his new ideas about democracy, including a revised view of how the president was supposed to act in this reimagined system. In fact, he couldn't shut up about the presidency. Appeals to his own credibility were front and center in the Proclamation.

Even though the Proclamation was largely a response to Calhoun's arguments about a state's Constitutional right to nullify, Jackson still managed to turn the debate into a document pronouncing the values of his newly imagined Democrat Party.

But give the guy a break. Remember, the U.S. was only about 40+ years old at this point—toddlerhood in nation-years—so they were still trying to figure a few things out about the whole checks and balances thing. Nonetheless, Jackson was not going to miss the opportunity to spread his ideas about presidential power.

There are several "as the president, I can do this and as the president, I can do that" moments in his Proclamation. Consider this quote: "We are one people in the choice of the President and the Vice President […] The people, then, and not the States, are represented in the executive branch" (25). He's saying that the president knows what the people want, not state representatives. That means he's legit, yo.

Or, at least, he really wants it to mean that. Plenty of people were scare to death by his heavy-handed tactics and thought he was a tyrant.

Pathos

The Proclamation is oozing with emotional appeals. We know that by today's standards, the words "Vain provisions! Ineffectual restrictions! Vile profanation of oaths! Miserable mockery of legislation!" (21) don't seem like that much of a diss, but it was serious back-in-the-day political hate-speak.

Jackson is trolling South Carolina like crazy throughout this document. He's practically daring the nullifiers to keep pushing him. But he's also trying to appeal to sappy, romantic visions of patriotism.

Consider the extent of its territory its increasing and happy population, its advance in arts, which render life agreeable, and the sciences which elevate the mind! See education spreading the lights of religion, morality, and general information into every cottage in this wide extent of our Territories and States! Behold it as the asylum where the wretched and the oppressed find a refuge and support! Look on this picture of happiness and honor, and say, we, too are citizens of America—Carolina is one of these proud States her arms have defended—her best blood has cemented this happy Union! (33)

What a moving sentiment, right? We want to fall down and weep with gratitude that we live in such a country.

But then:

And then add, if you can, without horror and remorse this happy Union we will dissolve—this picture of peace and prosperity we will deface—this free intercourse we will interrupt—these fertile fields we will deluge with blood-the protection of that glorious flag we renounce—the very name of Americans we discard" (37).

No, please, no. Don't do it, South Carolina.

By the end of the document the reader's been dragged through more highs and lows than the Intimidator 305.

Logos

There are some appeals to logic here, hidden somewhere between all the exclamation points. Actually, Jackson does spend a significant chunk of his proclamation picking apart the Ordinance point by point, clearly following its arguments about constitutionality and then carefully rebutting those arguments.

He justifies his authority and duties as President, saying:

Strict duty would require of me nothing more than the exercise of those powers with which I am now, or may hereafter be, invested, for preserving the Union, and for the execution of the laws. But the imposing aspect which opposition has assumed in this case, by clothing itself with State authority, and the deep interest which the people of the United States must all feel in preventing a resort to stronger measures, while there is a hope that anything will be yielded to reasoning and remonstrances, perhaps demand, and will certainly justify, a full exposition to South Carolina and the nation of the views I entertain of this important question, as well as a distinct enunciation of the course which my sense of duty will require me to pursue. (5)

This is where he decides to put the boxing gloves down for a moment and actually discuss the topic at hand.

Don't worry, he's back with the exclamation points in a sentence or two.