What historical development does the cartoon depict?

Well, since there's no visible cartoon accompanying your question, I'd say it depicts the universe the moment before the Big Bang. There's noting there.

Explanation:

president wilson decision to ask Congress to enter wwi

the doctrine of nullification recommended that states living inside the union have the one-sided, inalienable ideal to void any law made by the national government that could be esteemed illegal.

the united states was shaped based on a general agreement among its individual states. hence, it is inferred that under the hypothesis of invalidation, since the states are the establishment of the union, they have the ability to referee and disprove unlawful laws.