During 1816-1824, the US governement enacted some tariffs at a high rate. This tariffs were widely rejected by some prominent figures like Andrew Jackson, Francis Preston Blair and others.
A prominent man who defended the tariffs, which were enacted with a protectionsist purpose, was John Calhoun. The states and representatives against the tariffs claimed a Nullification over the tariffs as they considered them anti-constitutional. This was known as the Nullification Crisis.
It you felt this way you would likely go to the "<span>The Supremacy Clause" to support your argument that the federal government should assert itself, because this says that the federal government under the Constitution is the "supreme law of the land".</span>