Final answer:
The Nullification Crisis was caused by the Tariff Acts of 1828 and 1832. South Carolina's ordinance to nullify these tariffs and its subsequent threat to secede led to a standoff with the federal government, which President Jackson addressed with military authority and a compromise tariff that diffused the situation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Nullification Crisis of the 1830s was precipitated by the Tariff Acts of 1828 and 1832, which imposed high tariffs on imported goods, benefiting Northern manufacturers at the expense of Southern economies. South Carolina, led by Vice President John Calhoun, passed an Ordinance of Nullification, declaring these tariffs unconstitutional and threatening to secede from the Union. President Andrew Jackson countered with the Force Bill, authorizing military action to enforce the tariffs, but the crisis was averted with the Compromise Tariff Act of 1833, which gradually reduced the tariffs.
The crisis highlighted a deep sectional divide, with Southern states feeling oppressed by the democratic majority and fearing federal interference in slavery. The nullifiers in South Carolina sought to assert states' rights, claiming the authority to nullify federal laws they deemed detrimental. Tensions between the principles of free trade and protective tariffs, alongside the issue of states' rights versus federal authority, escalated the conflict, nearly leading to armed confrontation.