Final answer:
The congressional acts in 1824 and 1828 that increased tariffs from their 1816 levels led to the controversial Tariff of Abominations, which protected American manufacturing at the cost of sectional tension, particularly in the South.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1824 and again in 1828, Congress increased the import tariff from the Tariff of 1816 levels, leading to significant controversy and the nickname Tariff of Abominations for the latter. These tariffs were part of a protectionist economic policy designed to promote American manufacturing by raising the cost of imported goods.
Leaders like John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay supported the tariffs despite opposition, particularly from frontier farmers and Southern states that saw no benefit and potential harm from these policies.
The increased tensions over tariffs contributed to the debate on states' rights versus federal power and precipitated the Nullification Crisis. Eventually, Henry Clay arranged a compromise to gradually lower the tariffs over a decade, easing the immediate conflict but not resolving the underlying sectional tensions.