Sectionalism In The 19th Century

Sectionalism

Before the 19th century, Americans stuck to their traditional roots and felt no need to try new things or implement new technologies, but that soon changed. In the South, the demand for cotton was at an all time high, but it was a long and difficult process as slaves had to separate the seed and cotton by hand. A man named Eli Whitney saw an opportunity to fix this issue and created the infamous Cotton Gin. The machine worked by inputting the cotton on one side and cranking it as it separates the seeds and cotton with the hassle as the output results in cotton. As the process was now easier, farmers bought more slaves to operate this machine to earn more income. Within a few years, this machine alone boosted the southern economy. Also in the South, farmers who grew grain had to harvest them within a two week period after they ripen. This meant no new grains could be planted during harvesting season causing a loss in portion of crop. Thankfully, a man named Cyrus McCormick invented the Mechanical Reaper. The machine worked as a divider separated the stalks as a blade would cut them to be picked up by hand. This machine allowed farmers to

The South used the Africans immigrants who were forced off their homeland from countries in Africa like Liberia through the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The African American population now was more prevalent in the South, as they were used as field workers non voluntarily. After Nat Turner’s rebellion, Southerners were not as lenient with free slaves and tried hoarding them in. They did not have any rights or liberties, but were fed and sheltered by the owners. In the 19th century, the Interregional Slave Trade was a great migration of slaves from the Upper South to the Deep South. This slave trade was driven by economic factors and soil exhaustion in