The Nullification Crisis primarily revolved around the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832, which were protective tariffs designed to promote American industry but led to increased prices for consumers in the South. The Southern states, particularly South Carolina, opposed these tariffs, seeing them as unfairly benefiting the industrial North at the expense of the agricultural South.
In response, South Carolina declared that they would not enforce the tariffs within their state, asserting the right to nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional. This led to a significant confrontation between federal authority and state sovereignty, with President Andrew Jackson advocating for the enforcement of federal laws and Congress eventually passing the Force Bill to allow military action if necessary to ensure compliance.
The crisis ultimately highlighted the tensions between state rights and federal authority that would continue to be a contentious issue leading up to the Civil War.