A. South Carolina challenged federal authority over the states by declaring a federal tariff void, but the president and Congress maintained that federal authority was supreme.
This response accurately reflects the tensions that emerged during the Nullification Crisis, where South Carolina asserted its right to nullify federal laws (in this case, tariffs) it deemed unfair. The federal government's insistence on maintaining authority laid the groundwork for the larger conflict over states' rights versus federal power that would ultimately contribute to the Civil War.