In 1828, Congress passed a tariff that taxed imports in an effort to protect American industry. Southern states were against this tariff because they were forced to pay higher prices, and they thought it favored the northern states. The tariff prompted Vice President John C. Calhoun to write the "South Carolina Exposition and Protest" in which he argued that states had the right to declare an act of Congress null and void. John C. Calhoun was an advocate of .