American Civil War over Opinions on Slavery

Throughout the 1800’s, up until about 1860, the North and South had an immense amount of struggles, both economically and socially, that led them to the Civil War. The main difference they fought over was their opinions on slavery. These problems led to years of conflict and misery among the states. The North and South were extremely different when it came to their economy. For instance, the North had more so factories, unlike the South, which relied on farming. The immense amount of railroads in the North helped make deliveries between factories. (Doc. 1a) This added to the fact that the North had more of a manufacturing value as well. (Doc. 1b) Since the South relied on farming, slavery was more common in their territories. Thomas R. Dew claimed that in Virginia, slavery was important to their soil and economy. (Doc. 2b) Around 1830, there was an estimated 470,000 slaves working/ residing in Virginia, valued at an average of $200 per slave. If Virginia were to give up slavery, they’d lose about $94,000,000, which was about half their value. (Doc. 2b)

Socially, the North and South were greatly different as well. Northerners thought that slavery should be gotten rid of, but Southerners, on the other hand, were all for it. In the North, slaves could roam around freely after escaping their owners. The Underground Railroad, started by Harriet Tubman, was one of the most well known routes used to escape in history. In the South, slave owners claimed that slavery was essential to the story of progress. They stated without it, civilization would not have been the way it was. (Doc. 3) It was also said that slavery made civilization possible to begin with. On the other hand, the American Anti-Slavery Society found slavery to be morally wrong. They said it went against both religion and humanity. (Doc. 2a)

After the Civil War, the North and South still had their conflicts and differences, there’s no doubt about it. Under the newly written Constitution, the