The 'Tariff of Abominations' was a controversial tariff passed in 1828 that imposed high duties on imported goods, aiming to protect Northern industries but significantly harming the Southern economy, which relied on foreign trade. This tariff exacerbated regional tensions and contributed to the Nullification Crisis, where South Carolina attempted to nullify the tariff, challenging federal authority and foreshadowing the sectional conflicts that would lead to the Civil War.