Sectionalism In The United States

Sectionalism refers to loyalty to a section, country, or a region as a whole. In America, sectionalism can be defined in terms of social structures, lifestyles, and the political values of the South and the North. It was heightened in the period beginning from 1800 to 1850 when the North was urbanized and industrialized with successful factories whereas in the South it was covered with agricultural plantations which were based on slave labor. The Southern communities tried to excuse the use of slaves with a claim that factory workers in the North toiled under similar or even worse conditions. Additionally, they also referred to Northern factory workers as white slaves. The North industrialist benefitted from the slave structures, but politicians and religious leaders were against it. However, the war between the
Dred was a slave who pursued to acquire American citizenship by exploiting the legal systems. The Supreme Court judges denied his request stating that no individual with African blood could become a citizen of the United States (Epperson, 32). The same decision overruled the Missouri Compromise of the year 1820 which has constrained slavery in specific territories of the United States. Scott’s owners moved him from Illinois and then to Wisconsin, both of these areas were part of the Northwest region that had banned slavery. Therefore, when Scott made it back to Missouri he tried to buy his freedom, but his owner refused, leading him to seek help from the courts. The decision infuriated the Republicans since it rendered their attempts to end slavery to be futile. The ruling also affected the lives of the Northern Democrats who could no longer popularize sovereignty as a symbolic franchise to Southerners from the electorates of the North. The decision was more than preserving slavery, it also ventured into the issue of blacks gaining