What caused the Nullification Crisis in the early 1830s?

The Nullification Crisis in the early 1830s was primarily caused by South Carolina's opposition to federal tariffs. The state believed that the tariffs, particularly the Tariff of 1828 and the Tariff of 1832, were economically detrimental, favoring Northern industries at the expense of Southern agricultural interests. South Carolina argued that states had the right to nullify federal laws that they deemed unconstitutional, claiming that the tariffs unfairly burdened their economy.

This crisis highlighted the tension between state and federal authority and brought to the forefront the idea of states' rights, a significant issue at the time. The situation escalated when South Carolina threatened to secede from the Union if the federal government enforced the tariffs. The conflict was eventually defused through a compromise tariff in 1833, but it set a precedent for future debates over state sovereignty and federal power, significantly impacting the national discourse leading to the Civil War.