Which tariff helped trigger South Carolina's Nullification Crisis in 1832-33?

Which tariff helped trigger South Carolina's Nullification Crisis in 1832-33?

• A. Tariff of 1832
• B. Tariff of Abominations (Tariff of 1828)
• C. Compromise Tariff of 1833
• D. Tariff of 1842

Answer: (B)

The key idea is how tariffs can provoke strong regional resistance and challenge federal power. The Tariff of 1828, often labeled the Tariff of Abominations, raised duties to a level that the South perceived as economically punitive. It protected Northern industry but imposed higher costs on Southern planters who relied on imported goods and on cotton exports that faced retaliatory tariffs abroad. This created a powerful grievance in South Carolina and across the Southern states, fueling the argument that states should have the authority to nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional. That tension culminated in South Carolina’s 1832 Nullification Ordinance, marking the crisis. The Tariff of 1832 did raise hopes by easing some duties, but it did not settle the dispute, so it’s not the trigger. The Compromise Tariff of 1833 helped resolve the confrontation, and the Tariff of 1842 came later and is not part of this crisis. Thus, the tariff most directly responsible for starting the conflict is the Tariff of 1828, the one Southern states called the Tariff of Abominations.

The key idea is how tariffs can provoke strong regional resistance and challenge federal power. The Tariff of 1828, often labeled the Tariff of Abominations, raised duties to a level that the South perceived as economically punitive. It protected Northern industry but imposed higher costs on Southern planters who relied on imported goods and on cotton exports that faced retaliatory tariffs abroad. This created a powerful grievance in South Carolina and across the Southern states, fueling the argument that states should have the authority to nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional. That tension culminated in South Carolina’s 1832 Nullification Ordinance, marking the crisis.

The Tariff of 1832 did raise hopes by easing some duties, but it did not settle the dispute, so it’s not the trigger. The Compromise Tariff of 1833 helped resolve the confrontation, and the Tariff of 1842 came later and is not part of this crisis. Thus, the tariff most directly responsible for starting the conflict is the Tariff of 1828, the one Southern states called the Tariff of Abominations.