What: states that any law passed by the federal government can be declared null and void by the states When: 1828; the South was extremely upset about the extremely high Tariff of Abominations. " The South Carolina Exposition" written by John C. Calhoun denounced the tariff as unjust and unconstitutional. The document bluntly proposed that the states should nullify the Tariff. Why: The theory of this nullification was further publicized. The even more dangerous doctrine of secession was foreshadowed.