This is another item that was just not discussed in history class. Indeed, it was barely mentioned.
This tariff was different from previous tariffs because it lacked a common goal, such as paying off war debt. It was also unevenly applied.
The massive tariffs against importation of manufacturing goods and raw materials was blatantly for the protection of New England manufacturing at the expense of the south and, to a lesser extent, the Northwest Territory and its derivative states. Remember, a “union” exists for the common good. That means that at this point in time, the Union was already broken.This tariff’s use as a weapon to transfer southern wealth to the north caused its nickname The Tariff of Abominations.
Also, southern historians date the beginning of the Civil War from this twisting of the use of tariffs. This was the lighting of the fuse, as the tariffs of the colonies lit the fuse of the American Revolution. Like the colonies, the southern states tried to work out a peaceful solution for years, but finally the break came.