The Tariff of 1828, also known as the Tariff of Abominations, was a protective tariff passed by the U.S. Congress in 1828. It was designed to protect the interests of northern manufacturers by raising the cost of imported goods. The tariff was opposed by many in the South, who saw it as an attack on their agricultural economy. The leader of the resistance was Vice President John C. Calhoun, who argued that the tariff was unconstitutional and violated states’ rights. He argued that the tariff was a form of taxation without representation, and that it was unfair to the South. Calhoun proposed the Nullification Doctrine, which stated that states had the right to nullify federal laws that they deemed unconstitutional. He argued that if the federal government refused to repeal the tariff, then the states had the right to secede from the Union. Calhoun's proposal was rejected by Congress, and the Tariff of 1828 remained in effect.
