Question

Why does this difference make the action of South Carolina an “offense” that the federal government can punish “by the law of self-defense”?

Answer 1

In 1832, South Carolina declared that it had the power to nullify federal laws with which it disagreed -- namely, a set of tariffs designed to protect northern manufacturers. In response, President Andrew Jackson issued a proclamation asserting the Supreme Court's ultimate power to decide constitutional questions and emphasizing that its decisions had to be obeyed -- even though, earlier that same year, he had ignored the Court's decision in Worcester v. Georgia (prohibiting the forced removal of the Cherokee from Georgia)