Final answer:
Westerners tended to agree with Southerners on the issue of states' rights, especially during the nullification crisis of the 1830s, which centered on the right to nullify federal tariffs and laws that were seen as harmful to Southern interests.
Step-by-step explanation:
Westerners tended to agree with Southerners over the issue of states’ rights. The tensions surrounding the nullification crisis in the 1830s, particularly with the Tariff of 1828 and subsequent legislations, showcase this alignment. Southerners, including influential figures like John C. Calhoun, advocated for the right of states to nullify federal laws they found oppressive or detrimental to their interests. Many feared that federal power exercised through tariffs could extend to an assault on slavery, a central economic and social institution in the South. The resulting crisis over these tariffs and the discussion of states' rights highlighted the ongoing conflict between federal authority and state sovereignty, a precursor to the broader and more devastating clashes that would eventually lead to the Civil War.