Sectional Differences

Before the Civil War America was divided. The two division, north and south, were located in the same country but were very different from each other. The North and the South made it very clear that they live different lifestyles. Their terrain was different along with their tariffs. These sectional differences in way of life led to the American Civil War. The daily lifestyle of a southern was very different from the lifestyle of a northerner. In the south many were farmers. They grew cash crops such as cotton and tobacco. These crops were a way of life for many. There was a very rigid social structure. Everyone had a place and the wealthy were on top. The south was very traditional. However, their major plantations were not usually plowed and harvested by the wealthy manor owner. Forced labor was a way of life for many in the south. As the wealthy lived extravagantly slaves did the hard work. As for the north slavery was around but not to a large extent as in the south. The north had a few smaller farms but its main way of life was factories and capitalism. As factories and industrialization took place so did capitalism. Factories and industries employed the vast majority of people. There was a social structure that occurred in the north but it wasn’t as rigid as in the south. The wealthy were always on the top however their was more of a middle class. Since forced labor was not popular many were grouped into the same category. The north had double the amount of railroads then the south and had ten times the number of factories. These differences in lifestyle led to conflict of how one should live their lives. This conflict escalated and was one reason why the American Civil War occurred. The terrain in the north and south was very different at the time. The south was very spread out and had nice soil for cotton and tobacco farming. The north was more industrialized and crowded. Many lived in large manor houses in the south while apartments were the