Civil War- Sectionalism Essay, Research Paper
North and South
The United States of America, the great democratic experiment, was just that. Not since
the great Greek culture had a government of, for, and by the people existed. The entire world
felt, that on a large scale, democracy would inevitably lead to anarchy; our founding fathers were
determined to prove them wrong. But as the political stand off with the British became a
secession issue, a great issue split the future nation. Slavery, a southern necessity, both social
and economic, threatened the unity of our nation. A nation that would one day be the greatest the
world had ever known.
During the development of the thirteen colonies, diversity set in early. In the south the
temperate climate made the growth of tobacco a suitable and very profitable business.
Cultivation of this crop required a lot of land, and therefore settlers lived far apart. Northern
Colonies, though, were much more dependent on small farms, with closely knit communities.
These differences were the seed of a sectional division that would plague the nation for a century.
During the late seventeenth century, this fissure in the ideals of the colonies became
apparent. Following the constant political irreverence from Britain, a majority of colonial
representatives felt the need for independence. The Declaration of Independence was the
document written to do this. It called for an abolition of slavery as well as freedom from British
rule. Unfortunately, the South would hear nothing of it. Being strong defenders of states rights,
most of the Southern states adhered to their believe in a government less like a supreme authority
and more like a dominion of independent states. They would rather stay loyal to their
oppressive government than participate in one that shunned their way of life. In order to keep
their dreams of independence, they North was forced to make the one cession they did not wish
to make. In order to keep a unified nation, the slavery issue was deliberately absent from the
Declaration. Some of the Northern delegates were outraged, but none more than John Adams. A
renowned proponent of equal rights, he was one of few that saw the irony in establishing a free
society without freeing those in bondage. John Adams seems now more like Nostrodamus when
he voiced his concern about the slavery issue for future generations. He did not know it, but the
couldn?t have been more right.
As time went on the United States of America grew as two separate nations. The
Industrial Revolution gave Northern living its own culture, as the development of machinery and
capitalism took hold. The South, however, was holding its own with its peculiar institution. As
tobacco changed to cotton, the South became more and more dependent on it. Their entire way
of life was based on that forced labor system. They would stop at nothing to protect it.
During the 1850?s this devotion to slavery came to the forefront. Expansion was
on everyone?s lips, and the slave holders were looking for a place to expand their holdings.
Many of the Northern politicians were against expansion, for fear of Southern dominance, but
once the issue became inescapable, they focused their attention on stopping the spread of slavery,
not that of the country. Whether or not to allow slavery in new territories was not mentioned in
the Constitution, so the issue was unfortunately up for debate. It was these debates that led to the
greatest catastrophe in American history.
For the South, that catastrophe was the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. For the
first time, a President was elected with no support from the South. Following the lead of South
Carolina, seven of the united states seceded from the union to make their own nation. That was
the catastrophe of the North. Lincoln would soon launch a crusade to reunite the United States;
and his success or failure would decide the fate of the nation.
Mobilization for war was what followed, and after the bloodiest fighting in American history, the
North finally succeeded in stopping secession. The difference in culture between the North and
South had led the nation to brink of destruction, it was all inevitable, and probably necessary.
The battles over slavery in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and Expansionism
were all leading up to the eventual conflict. But without the cession of slavery, the South would
never have joined in the quest for independence, and our great nation would not exist. In order to
expand the good, a necessary evil had to be tolerated. For the span of almost a hundred years the
question of slavery was littered with compromise. But both sides would not budge, each insisted
that god was on their side. In the end, it took the lives of over 600,000 men and boys to settle it. North and South
The United States of America, the great democratic experiment, was just that. Not since
the great Greek culture had a government of, for, and by the people existed. The entire world
felt, that on a large scale, democracy would inevitably lead to anarchy; our founding fathers were
determined to prove them wrong. But as the political stand off with the British became a
secession issue, a great issue split the future nation. Slavery, a southern necessity, both social
and economic, threatened the unity of our nation. A nation that would one day be the greatest the
world had ever known.
During the development of the thirteen colonies, diversity set in early. In the south the
temperate climate made the growth of tobacco a suitable and very profitable business.
Cultivation of this crop required a lot of land, and therefore settlers lived far apart. Northern
Colonies, though, were much more dependent on small farms, with closely knit communities.
These differences were the seed of a sectional division that would plague the nation for a century.
During the late seventeenth century, this fissure in the ideals of the colonies became
apparent. Following the constant political irreverence from Britain, a majority of colonial
representatives felt the need for independence. The Declaration of Independence was the
document written to do this. It called for an abolition of slavery as well as freedom from British
rule. Unfortunately, the South would hear nothing of it. Being strong defenders of states rights,
most of the Southern states adhered to their believe in a government less like a supreme authority
and more like a dominion of independent states. They would rather stay loyal to their
oppressive government than participate in one that shunned their way of life. In order to keep
their dreams of independence, they North was forced to make the one cession they did not wish
to make. In order to keep a unified nation, the slavery issue was deliberately absent from the
Declaration. Some of the Northern delegates were outraged, but none more than John Adams. A
renowned proponent of equal rights, he was one of few that saw the irony in establishing a free
society without freeing those in bondage. John Adams seems now more like Nostrodamus when
he voiced his concern about the slavery issue for future generations. He did not know it, but the
couldn?t have been more right.
As time went on the United States of America grew as two separate nations. The
Industrial Revolution gave Northern living its own culture, as the development of machinery and
capitalism took hold. The South, however, was holding its own with its peculiar institution. As
tobacco changed to cotton, the South became more and more dependent on it. Their entire way
of life was based on that forced labor system. They would stop at nothing to protect it.
During the 1850?s this devotion to slavery came to the forefront. Expansion was
on everyone?s lips, and the slave holders were looking for a place to expand their holdings.
Many of the Northern politicians were against expansion, for fear of Southern dominance, but
once the issue became inescapable, they focused their attention on stopping the spread of slavery,
not that of the country. Whether or not to allow slavery in new territories was not mentioned in
the Constitution, so the issue was unfortunately up for debate. It was these debates that led to the
greatest catastrophe in American history.
For the South, that catastrophe was the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. For the
first time, a President was elected with no support from the South. Following the lead of South
Carolina, seven of the united states seceded from the union to make their own nation. That was
the catastrophe of the North. Lincoln would soon launch a crusade to reunite the United States;
and his success or failure would decide the fate of the nation.
Mobilization for war was what followed, and after the bloodiest fighting in American history, the
North finally succeeded in stopping secession. The difference in culture between the North and
South had led the nation to brink of destruction, it was all inevitable, and probably necessary.
The battles over slavery in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and Expansionism
were all leading up to the eventual conflict. But without the cession of slavery, the South would
never have joined in the quest for independence, and our great nation would not exist. In order to
expand the good, a necessary evil had to be tolerated. For the span of almost a hundred years the
question of slavery was littered with compromise. But both sides would not budge, each insisted
that god was on their side. In the end, it took the lives of over 600,000 men and boys to settle it.