Final answer:
Southerners feared the Tariff of 1828 because they thought this same federal power could be used to suppress slavery, seen as the foundation of the Southern way of life. Therefore the correct answer is B) this same power could be used to suppress slavery.
Step-by-step explanation:
Southerners feared the Tariff of 1828 primarily because it harmed their economic interests and raised concerns about the potential use of federal power to attack the institution of slavery, which was central to the Southern economy and way of life. The correct answer to why southerners feared the Tariff of 1828 is this same power could be used to suppress slavery. The imposition of the tariff suggested to the South that the federal government might unilaterally take steps that could hurt the region, leading to the idea that the foundation of their society—slavery—could someday come under federal attack.
John C. Calhoun, Vice President at the time, became one of the leading voices for the concerns of the South. He introduced the theory of nullification, suggesting that individual states had the right to void federal laws that threatened their interests, such as the Tariff of 1828, seen as an unwelcome expansion of federal power and a possible precursor to federal action against slavery.
The Tariff of 1828, also known as the "tariff of abominations," raised duties on imported goods, benefiting Northern manufacturers but hurting Southern plantation owners who relied on imported goods and saw the tariff as supporting a majority that did not consider Southern interests. The Southern response to the tariff played into broader tensions between North and South, which would eventually lead to the Nullification Crisis and increase regional tensions leading up to the Civil War.