The Nullification Crisis highlighted tensions between which constitutional principles?

The Nullification Crisis highlighted tensions between which constitutional principles?

• A. Separation of powers and checks and balances
• B. States' rights and federal supremacy
• C. Due process and equal protection
• D. Federalism and national sovereignty

Answer: (B)

The key clash is between states' rights and federal supremacy. During the Nullification Crisis, South Carolina argued that a state could refuse to enforce federal tariffs within its borders, asserting its right to determine which federal laws to follow. The federal government countered that national laws must be obeyed everywhere in the United States and that the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause makes federal law the supreme law of the land. This confrontation shows how federalism operates in practice—the tension between state sovereignty and national authority within the union. While the other ideas involve how the national government is organized or protect individual rights, they don’t capture the central dispute over who holds ultimate authority to enforce or resist federal laws.

The key clash is between states' rights and federal supremacy. During the Nullification Crisis, South Carolina argued that a state could refuse to enforce federal tariffs within its borders, asserting its right to determine which federal laws to follow. The federal government countered that national laws must be obeyed everywhere in the United States and that the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause makes federal law the supreme law of the land. This confrontation shows how federalism operates in practice—the tension between state sovereignty and national authority within the union. While the other ideas involve how the national government is organized or protect individual rights, they don’t capture the central dispute over who holds ultimate authority to enforce or resist federal laws.