how did john calhoun react to the tarriff of 1828

Answer 1

John C. Calhoun reacted strongly against the Tariff of 1828, which he believed disproportionately harmed the Southern states, particularly South Carolina. He viewed the tariff as "unconstitutional" and detrimental to the Southern economy, which relied heavily on imported goods. Calhoun articulated his opposition through the "South Carolina Exposition and Protest," in which he laid out the doctrine of nullification. He argued that states had the right to nullify federal laws that they deemed unconstitutional. His response was part of a larger sectional conflict that highlighted the economic and political tensions between the industrial North and the agrarian South. Calhoun's stance contributed to the growing divide leading up to the Civil War.