Final answer:
Most Southerners disliked the tariffs during the Adams Presidency as they felt these taxes favored Northern industries at the expense of Southern export economies. The tariffs also stoked fears of federal power being used to threaten the institution of slavery, leading to the promotion of nullification by Southern leaders like Calhoun.
Step-by-step explanation:
Most Southerners hated the tariffs of the Adams Presidency due to the economic disadvantage they believed the South suffered in comparison to the North. These tariffs, particularly the Tariff of 1828 also known as the "tariff of abominations," levied high import taxes on goods, thereby benefiting Northern manufacturers who sold their goods in a protected national market. Meanwhile, Southern economies were heavily reliant on exporting raw materials like cotton and tobacco to international markets and often faced retaliatory tariffs from European nations.
Additionally, there was a deep-seated fear that the use of federal power seen in the enforcement of tariffs could extend to other areas—most notably to interfere with the institution of slavery, which was the foundation of Southern economies and social structure.
This fear propelled figures like Vice President John C. Calhoun to advocate for the nullification theory, which held that states had the right to void federal laws they deemed unconstitutional, particularly when such laws would benefit one region over another.
Moreover, Southerners were concerned that tariff revenue funded northern development projects, exacerbating regional disparities and promoting a sense of inequality amongst Southern citizens. The nullification crisis that ensued highlighted the sectional tensions between the North and the South and was an early indicator of the rifts that would eventually lead to the American Civil War.