Final answer:
Tariffs played a significant role in the events leading up to the Civil War, initially supported for economic independence but later causing sectional tension as they benefited Northern industries at the expense of Southern and Western states, leading to international retaliatory tariffs that harmed Southern exports.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Marotta and Russell, tariffs played a significant role leading up to the Civil War. Initially, tariffs such as the Tariff of 1816 were implemented to foster some measure of self-sufficiency in American manufactured goods, a need made evident by the British blockade during the war which cut off foreign trade. These early tariffs were even accepted by delegates from western and southern states, who generally opposed federal taxes, as they saw the connection between manufacturing and commercialized agriculture.
However, as northern businesses lobbied for higher tariffs to protect industries against cheaper European goods, this led to retaliation in the form of European tariffs against American exports like cotton and tobacco. Southern and Western states seldom benefited from tariffs, which increased the cost of manufactured goods for these regions. Moreover, the imposition of such protective tariffs eventually caused tension as Britain began to source cotton from its own colonies, like India, which were exempt from the high tariffs levied on American cotton.
The controversy around tariffs intensified, with southern Democrats returning to Congress in opposition to the Republican majority that supported tariff increases. Tariffs were among the factors that exacerbated sectional tensions, contributing to the economic and political conflicts that set the stage for the Civil War, as northern Republicans and some Democrats pushed for an increase in tariff to protect domestic industries and maintain federal revenue.