Final answer:
Many South Carolinians in 1824 were concerned that the democratic majority could harm their regional interests, specifically via the Tariff of 1828. This concern manifested in fear of federal actions against slavery, economic hardship due to falling cotton prices, and the belief in the right to nullify federal laws infringing on state sovereignty.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Concerns of South Carolinians During the Election of 1824
During the election of 1824, many South Carolinians were concerned by the potential harm a democratic majority could inflict on their interests, particularly due to the crisis over the Tariff of 1828. The tariff, also known as the Tariff of Abominations, alongside the implications on slavery, sparked significant anxiety. Vice President John C. Calhoun's 'South Carolina Exposition and Protest' articulated the southern belief that states had the right to nullify federal laws threatening state sovereignty. This reflected their fears of a federal government that could undermine the South's essential institution of slavery from a hostile northern majority in Congress.
Additionally, the falling price of cotton, from thirty-one cents per pound in 1818 to eight cents by 1831, exacerbated economic woes and intensified resentments. The tariff raised prices on imported goods for southerners while their income from cotton sales declined. Calhoun, then Vice President under President John Quincy Adams, leveraged his protest as a means to challenge what he and his supporters saw as an unconstitutional and regionally biased mechanism.