Which group was most negatively affected by the protective tariff established by Congress in 1828?

The protective tariff established by Congress in 1828, often referred to as the Tariff of Abominations, was designed to support Northern industries by making imported goods more expensive. This policy, however, had significant negative repercussions for the Southern economy, which relied heavily on the importation of goods and the export of agricultural products, particularly cotton. Southern states often had to pay higher prices for manufactured goods as a result of the tariffs, which limited their ability to trade freely and decreased overall economic prosperity in that region.

Moreover, Southern leaders argued that the tariff disproportionately benefited the industrial North at the expense of the agrarian South, leading to a deepening of regional tensions that would later contribute to the Civil War. Southern politicians and citizens viewed the tariff as part of a pattern of oppressive policies imposed by the federal government, which intensified their demands for greater states’ rights and opposition to federal economic intervention.

In contrast, other groups like industrial workers in the North benefitted from the tariff due to increased demand for domestic goods, while farmers in the Midwest were less directly impacted by the tariff's primary focus on protecting Northern manufacturing interests. Immigrants in urban areas did experience indirect effects but were not the primary group affected by this specific tariff. Therefore, the Southern economy