John C. Calhoun, then the Vice President of the United States, reacted strongly against the Tariff of 1828. He saw the tariff as favoring the industrialized northern states at the expense of the agrarian southern states. Calhoun believed that the tariff was unconstitutional and that it violated the principle of states' rights. He argued that the tariff would harm the economy of the South by making imported goods more expensive and reducing foreign demand for southern agricultural products. In response, Calhoun drafted a document known as the South Carolina Exposition and Protest, which asserted the right of a state to nullify federal laws that it deemed unconstitutional. This idea of nullification was a precursor to secession, and it became a major point of contention in the growing debate over states' rights and the power of the federal government.
