'There was more that divided the United States than united them in 1845.' To what extent do you agree with this statement? Aside from the issue of slavery, in 1845 the north and south had different ideals on industrial development and social issues, but mostly shared a common outlook due to their shared economy, society, culture, and political system. Differences between the north and south were dwarfed by their common interest in establishing a new nation, but sectionalism still steadily grew stronger and divided the United States. The industrialization of the north was an issue that arguably divided the United States in 1845. The rapid shift from an agrarian economy to an industrial one spurred an influx of immigrants which increased the amount of the working population in the north, and gave northern living its own culture as the development of industry took hold. Contrastingly the south was still an agrarian …show more content…
Slavery occurred in the north, as well, but was outlawed in the non-border Union states, while slavery continued in Union states bordering southern slave states. Northern states felt slavery should be outlawed as they didn’t need it due to the steady flow of immigrants in the 1840's which insured them a ready pool of laborers, many of whom could be hired at low wages, diminishing the need to cling to the institution of slavery. Southern states, which were still dependent on slave labor to drive their economy, put great importance on state’s rights in order to have slave ownership recognized in the west, outside of their home states whilst northern union states desired to cease the expansion of slavery in the west. This shows how the United States was more divided than united in 1845 leading me to further agree with the above statement to a
During 1800-1848, the United States regions were shaped different due to technological and economic changes which changed labor relations in each region. The economy in the north was depended on manufacturing, whereas, the economy in the south was depended on agriculture. The northern and southern regions were significantly different from one another until the idea of cotton came into the picture. The two regions were shaped differently during this time period for various reasons.
In 1860, the U.S. was divided. It was divided into the North, South, and New Territories. It was also divided in terms of their views on slavery. The North believed that slavery was wrong, the South completely supported the idea, and the West was indifferent at the time.
The United States became increasingly divided between 1815 and 1840. The northern states and southern states developed independently from each other. America was more sectionalist than nationalist because the north and south disagreed over slavery, states’ rights, and economic policy. Perhaps the most obvious sectionalist issue was the conflict over slavery.
Additionally, due to the railroads being built all across America, new raw materials were able to be moved from city to city allowing for rapid industrial and manufacturing growth which America always was challenged of since its break from Britain. The industrial revolution following the Civil War also differed as agriculture began to become more valuable to a developing nation. For instance, whereas before farmers were isolated from one another and lived in separate homes, due to the reliance of the nation to use the profits derived from agriculture to get more money to buy manufacturing goods stimulating industry more farmers began to move to the cities changing their lives completely. Due to the decrease in the agricultural, scattered, and isolated communities in the Midwest, America was able to become a more compact economic, independent, and industrial powerhouse. For generations, America had relied on old-fashioned, traditional ways of creating
During the early 1800s, the North and the South had severe political differences ranging from different interpretations of the federal laws to state laws. With the addition of the Louisiana Purchase, the North and the South disputed between the division of the new lands, which caused even more disagreement. The different conflicts caused sectionalism in which each region became aware of their own beliefs and their own methods. The South began to believe they were politically inferior in terms of electing an official in their favors and interpreting the laws, as compared to their Northern counterparts, which led to the South’s decision to secede, giving rise to the Civil War.
American Industrial Revolution North vs. South The American industrial revolution had many effects on the north and south in the 1800’s. While the North took advantage of the industrial process, the Southerners were still very agricultural and invested in land and slaves. That being said the american industrial revolution highlighted the fact that the economic strategies of the south were not strong enough to last through the changes in technology, transportation and population .
So while the Southern and Northern states had their disagreements they also had the same point of view with certain things. The north feared that the abolitionist
Davis said, “plantation slavery rapidly wear out soil, the South needed fresh land for an expanding population.” The South felt that they had lost much fortune because of the federal government. Similarly, the Proclamation of 1763 also prevented the Americans from acquiring new land. Finally, the deep social and ideological differences also accelerated the secession. The South relied heavily on slavery, it was “an inseparable part of the southern way of life.”
Even during its infancy, America was divided on the important issue of slavery. Divisions became ever more acute as the practice first died out and then was abolished in most of the North, while the South –in particular the cotton belt of the Deep South- it became an inseparable part of the section’s economy and society. This and the belief of many Americans in the western and southern states in a limited federal government was largely glazed over until the 1840s as more free states were admitted into the union. Southern states became increasingly concerned because they believed that the North might try to abolish slavery and further limit the powers of the state governments once they had a majority in congress. A series of compromises were
The Northern states, who did not rely on slavery for their economy, were anti-slavery and hence wanted all the nation to be such. The Southern states vehemently opposed this view, as their flow of money relied almost entirely on the use of slave labor. This extreme divide among the people roused talk of division in America. Stephens argues that “slavery and white supremacy were not only the cause for secession, but also the “cornerstone” of the Confederate nation.” He also states, quoting Jefferson: “(this is the) rock upon which the old Union would split”, referring to the existence of African slavery.
This victory led to our independance and the establishment of the United States of America. However, we did not stay united for long. Disagreements on the topic of slavery tore us apart. The Northern states claimed that the treatment of African slaves was unjust and that the Constitution clearly stated that “all men shall be made equal”.
By the year 1845, slavery had been outlawed throughout Europe and there was very little transatlantic slave trade going on due to its abolishment in many countries and their colonies. But in the United States, it was still legal, though widely controversial. As America expanded westward, there was a lot of conflict over whether slavery should expand as well. The issue of the expansion of slavery played a major role in the causation of the civil war because of how it reinforced sectionalism between the North and the South and because of the “band-aid fixes” made by the government in an attempt to maintain the free state-slave state balance.
One can say that this was not the true image of the American people back then, referring here strictly about slavery. As time was passing by, the controversy over the institution of slavery would only grow and the faith of the Declaration not to mention the truths it asserted was very much mistaken. What began as a contradiction eventually began a politically crisis of the first order resulting in the Civil War. Those with great
Sectionalism The definition of the word sectionalism is the restriction of interest to a narrow sphere. There were 3 main sections that practiced sectionalism in the 1800s. These sections were the North, the South, and the West. A few events that created sectional conflict were tariffs, slavery, representation, and states rights.
However, during this time, sectional differences, such as slavery, population, and transportation infrastructure, divided the country, shaping its regions to be quite different from each other. Industry in America initially could not support