Final answer:
The Nullification Crisis is described by an aggrieved minority of elites, an emerging sectional divide, and a clash over tariffs. It was a conflict that featured southern elite resistance to federal power, fears of growing northern influence, and sectional tensions that foreshadowed the Civil War.
Step-by-step explanation:
The tension that surrounded Nullification encompasses all of the following: an aggrieved minority of elites, an emerging sectional divide, and a clash between those who favored tariffs and those who did not. During the Nullification Crisis, a wealthy minority of slaveholders stood against democratic majority decisions that they deemed contrary to their interests. This was also when clear sectional differences between the North and South intensified, particularly over matters such as the Tariff of 1828, referred to as the 'tariff of abominations,' which mainly benefited Northern interests at the expense of Southern economies.
Furthermore, the crisis highlighted a political clash over economic ideologies, where the southern economy, heavily reliant on cotton exports, suffered due to the high tariffs imposed on imported goods, which protected northern manufacturers. High tariffs favored by some were seen as a harmful exercise of federal power by others, raising fears that the federal government might take action against southern interests, including slavery. Overall, the Nullification Crisis was an early sign of the conflict that would eventually lead to the Civil War.