The Civil War was the most divisive war in American history. In the early 1800s, the United States experienced a growth of nationalism and unity, but it was replaced by sectionalism, leading to the Civil War. There were many reasons why the South wanted to secede, reasons the North wanted to maintain the Union, and the controversy surrounding slavery and steps taken to abolish it.…
The North and South in the nineteenth century were different in lifestyle and morale as well as economy. The north had a booming industrial economy while in the South, cotton was king. Because of this, congress was continuously addressing controversial matters and providing answers that did not satisfy either one side or both. The early 1800s were full of the North and the South making many attempts at reconciliation that just fell short. Among those were the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and the Great Compromise of 1850. Other tempestuous attempts led to the Tariff/Nullification Controversy, anti slavery debates in congress, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Whether it was one side or the other, there was always someone to oppose - and in some cases, defy - the laws put in place, which eventually led to the succession of the southern states and the Civil War.…
One of the main factors for this swap in sectionalistic/nationalistic feelings throughout the country was the beginning of the industrial revolution. Before the Industrial Revolution, some New Englanders even talked about leaving the Union during the Hartford Convention. After the Industrial Revolution, the North’s place in the Union would be stronger then ever. The industrial revolution caused many northern cities, such as Boston, major economic growth. While previously the New England colonies’ economies were not as strong as the South, the North overtook the South in economic terms. Factories sprung up and manufacturing became a major part of the economy. Unlike the North, the South was not as greatly effected by the Industrial Revolution. They remained in their agrarian economy even as the North advanced. This caused a divide between the amount of railroads and factories between the North and South. The South began to lag behind the North in economic growth. The roles that had been set in the 1810’s had been reversed. Now the South wanted to secede from the United States.…
The other main reasons are the control of the government, economy, states' rights, abolitionism, and the election of 1860. Although the focus revolved around slavery a lot of the tension that led to the war was from how the South felt it had no power when it came to making decisions. “As new states were added to the Union, a series of compromises were arrived at to maintain an equal number of “free” and “slave” states” (Hickman 1). However; as new states were added they were all being declared “free” states without the South having any say in the matter. Fearing they were losing power the South turned to the states' rights argument, stating that the federal government didn't have the right to change the laws of slavery in states whom already own slaves (Ayers). Things grew worse during the abolitionist movements which called for an end for slavery, whether it be immediate or gradual. This caused many disputes among the people which often led to biblical disputes (Hickman1). Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin should the cruelty of the Fugitive Slave Act and gave support to the abolitionist movement. The election of 1860 was the final straw. With the election of Abraham Lincoln as president, they feared all was about to change. “The North with its growing population and increased electoral power had achieved what the South had always feared: complete control of the government by the free states”(Hickman 2). After the election the South immediately began to discuss seceding from the Union. The secession of the South was the ultimate leading factor for the North to go to war, in order to keep the country united…
In the context of the period 1763-1865, how far was the American Civil War caused by long term divisions over the issue of slavery?…
The Northerners opposed slavery, whereas the agriculture dependent Southerners supported it. It was on this issue that the most acerbic debates took place. For the unity and efficiency of the whole country, both sides gave in and made the most famous of the compromises, the Three-Fifth Clause, which won unanimous approval. Not wanting to loose the valuable revenues from the South, the Northerners compromised again in the Constitution by prohibiting Congress from outlawing the slave trade for at least twenty years in order to appeal to the masses. Was this necessarily the right and just decision? No. But it undeniably guaranteed the South as a part of the…
While the North lightly interpreted the United States Constitution, and while pursuing industrialization and the expansion of cities, the South remained mostly agricultural. During this period in America, it seemed as if there was a major divide in the country and even completely different cultures had evolved that despised one another. The abolishment of slavery was the mechanism for which the North tried to change the South into a more modern society without the use of slave labor, which eventually caused the Civil War to be fought.…
Prior to 1860 the United States was already split into opposing sides fighting for power. Although these conflicts never reached the battlefield, the slaves states and free states were always competeing for representation in congress. Each side wanted more states for them to get more representation. To prevent too much conflict, they decided on numerous compromises such as the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. Although these did ease tensions to some degree, they were only delaying the enedible. It started when Abraham Lincoln was voted as president. South Carolina was the leader of the southern states and began the cesession of the states. After Lincoln was inaugurated in 1860 seven states ceded from the Union and soon after four more joined them. The south believed that they had the constitutional right to cede. (Doc A) South Carolina feared that the north would gain enough power over the south that they would abolish slavery in the south. South Carolina felt that their powers were being smuthered so they had no choice but to cede from the Union. This of course was the start of a very bloody war for both the northern and souther states. This conflict led to the Emancipation Proclamation and the freeing of the slaves in the south. However this was only the beginning of the revolution which the nation was going through.…
The life style of North and South differed from the beginning when the Europeans arrived at new land of America. Initially, they had different ideas and motives, and had different surrounding environment. Because of the divergent characteristics of area, north mainly went for artisan-industry while South went for farming industry which demanded a lot of slaves. And also, their inclination of politics diverged which South was pro French while North was pro-British. Since the drafting of the Constitution in 1787, the North and the South had grown apart again in terms of economy, ideology, and society.…
When the American government started passing unfavorable bills regarding certain territories in America, hostilities increased significantly, destroying the only aspiration of avoiding a civil war. Due to plentiful resources and population growth, the North transformed into a metropolitan area with advanced technology and successful ventures. It was also able to increase its territory due to the Ordinance of 1784, which allowed it to “incorporate new north-western states into its region,” and “achieve a larger population of residents.” The North’s increase in territory caused the South to envy its prosperity, increasing tensions that would contribute to the Civil War. Similar to how the Ordinance of 1784 escalated tensions in the South, the Wilmot Proviso, intended to eradicate slavery, drew an uproar from both the North and the South. Henry Clay, a politician opposing slavery, defied the expectations of both the North and the South by instructing the North to refrain from “demanding the terms” of the Wilmot Proviso and the South “against considering secession.” Since the South possessed a worse economy than the North, Clay had asserted that by eradicating slavery in the South, it would wage war just to preserve its economy. Clay’s warning revealed that the government advocated the North as opposed to the South, and that it was incapable of passing sufficient legislation. The South discovered the government’s bias towards the North and started the process to secede from the Union in order to achieve autonomy and create an honest…
America has won its battles and calamities from time to time and us as a nation had gained a sense of independence. However, it was divided as the North and the South due to problematic issues between compromises towards tariffs and state rights but what truly divided them was slavery. South could not put up with the fact to abolish slavery because business ran high in this aspect. Textiles were the prime resource supported by slavery which is half of the U.S. economy, and that the North’s industrial age came about because of it.…
The North kept on trying to stop the expansion of slavery, but the South kept on wanting more. They kept on trying to push westward. The saddest part of this is that they went against their own countrymen. They couldn’t even compromise with the people who they were fighting side by side with to break from Britain. They completely denied the Northerners who told them that slavery was completely wrong and isn’t fair.…
If asked, most people would blame as the cause of the civil war the issue of slavery. This is understandable; many people in the U.S. at the time were against slavery, going to far as to help runaway slaves escape to the free north. But, while slavery at face value was a major factor, international politics and economics played a major role. Several factors, including the election of Lincoln, the raid on Harper 's Ferry, the Dred Scott decision, and, most importantly, the fugitive slave law, contributed to the growing rift between the North and South and, eventually, the Civil War.…
They depended greatly on the North for their industries and factories, because they had very few. They also opposed federal spending on internal improvements and they wanted no tariffs. Even despite having a somewhat weak economy, the South wanted to gain their independence to become their own country, and to have their own way of life, which included slavery as legal. When Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860, the South thought that they would have no voice in the government, considering that Abraham Lincoln was against slavery. In hopes of being their own country, the South had no intention of fighting a war. However, before the war started, the South was unwilling to compromise. They thought that slavery should be allowed in all of the territories. They disagreed to the Missouri Compromise and to parts of the Compromise of 1850. Many felt that these compromises were unfair and biased. The South felt that their way of life and views on slavery were right and just. They turned to what they thought was their only choice: seceding from the Union. This enrage the North, which was one of the main causes of the Civil War.…
The three distinct ways the northern colonies differed from the southern during early years of the of the U.S development were views on slavery, foreign trading policies, and political views. The southern states believed it was their way or no way, opposed to any political views that they didn’t agree upon. The whisky rebellion era is another area that distinctly differentiates beliefs of the northern colonies from the southern. The southern colonies still believed in having slaves, whereas the northern colonies believed “all men are equal” becoming more diverse of the two regions. Although the northern states weren’t concerned with the loss of slavery, as the south was. The main concern for them was the foreign trading policy to advance…