Cynthia Anderson-Madueke
HIST 1301
Prof Nicolax Cox
12-08-2014
Similarities and Differences between the North and the South during Antebellum
The Antebellum period in the United States history was considered as time between 1820 and 1862. During this period, significant changes took place in terms of political, social and economic effects in America. The United States economy was changed from an underdeveloped country of frontiersmen and farmers into an industrialized economy. The South American depended on agriculture while the Northern part had many industries. The two parts differed in terms of slavery policies in the country as the south advocated for preservation of slaves while the North championed abolition of slavery policies. In addition, during this period the south and North had established distinct cultures because of their geographical difference (Mitchell, 8). The south had fertile soils and suitable climate that supported agriculture while the north had cold climate and rocky soils that could hardly support any farming.
Both areas had many farmers, but the south was successful with big plantations. The southern economy depended on agriculture while the North was based on technological advancement. The North successful developed many industries, while the south improved their farming methods (Roark, 7). The south farmers established huge plantations for cash crop production especially cotton. In addition, slavery became an important factor that provided
In contrast to the many economical differences of the industrial north and agrarian south, few similarities arise in the struggle of sectionalism. Both the societies consisted of utilization of trade, westward expansion, and the use of unskilled labor. The north's industrial businesses such as textile industries demanded the south's production of cotton in order to maintain its market with oversees buyers. Also, the fight for westward land was among the many conflicts between the north and the south. And the use of unskilled labor was highly shared between these two economies. In the south, the use of untrained African slaves was its main entity to economic success. Like the south, the north used amateur workers in its industries to boost its production.
The North and South continued to grow apart economically. The Jeffersonians would pushed for an Agricultural economic expansion. Southern plantations utilized slave labor to grow their agricultural industry whereas the Northern artisans and farmers believed in the fruit of their own labor.
Throughout the 19th century, the distinctions between the North and South in the United States were controversial. Prior to the Civil War, the North consisted of business owners and middle-class men. The South consisted of mostly farmers. The North was industrial, using railroads and factories. The South was agricultural, with mostly farms and plantations. The North paid their labor workers. The South used slaves. Not only did their opposing views on slavery and the separation of the two cultures, tensions arose that eventually led to one of the most gruesome wars in history.
The Antebellum Period in American History is for the most part thought to be the period before the Civil War and after the War of 1812, although some extend it to every one of the years from the reception of the Constitution in 1789 to the start of the Civil War. It was characterized by the rise of abolition and the gradual polarization of the country between abolitionists and supporters of slavery. The nation 's economy started growing in the North due to the Industrial Revolution, the South 's cotton blast made slave plantations the focal point of the economy. The addition of new region and western development saw the fortification of American independence and of Manifest Destiny, the thought that Americans and the foundations of the U.S. are ethically better and Americans are ethically committed than spread these foundations. From 1800-1860, the separation of the North and South lead to many opposing viewpoints on national issues. By 1860, compromise was considered impossible due to disagreements over handling slavery, sectionalism in the West, and states ' rights.
During the Antebellum period, between 1800 and 1850, the United States went through a number of significant changes. America went through the industrial revolution brining along technological advancements that are still used today. American citizens also started to separate into two groups: for slavery, and against it. And there was the rise of the great market economy. Throughout this period of U.S. history, changes occur that shape the world that Americans live in to this very day.
In the time just before the Civil War, the United States was one of the most successful nations in the world. The United States had become the world’s leading cotton producing country and had developed industry, which would in the future, surpass that of Great Britain. Also, the United States possessed an advanced railroad and transportation system. However, despite its successes, the United States was becoming increasingly divided. The North and the South had many distinct differences in terms of their social, cultural, and economic characteristics that brought about sectionalism and, eventually, the Civil War.
Even though the North and South were two very distinctly different opposing forces during the Civil War, there were some things both sides had in common. The Civil War was primarily fought to abolish slavery after Abraham Lincoln was elected president, but there were core differences between the North and South that caused them to fight for or against slavery. Things like climate, social equality, and the economy, were major factors in determining whether a state was part of the Confederacy or the Union. When the Confederate states seceded they kept many traits from the Union, so there were still some similarities such as technology and political systems. Ultimately, the small amount of similarities between the two sides were overpowered by differences, and led to the North’s victory of the Civil War.
It’s economy relied on the trade and mostly exports with other countries. Cotton was very profitable in the south because they did not have to pay for labor. With the invention of the cotton gin and improvements in textile manufacturing methods. The demand for cotton also made the demand for slave labor go up. The price of slaves went way up after the importing of more slaves from Africa was banned. Slavery was key to their economy. The North was much less agricultural than the south. The north had enough farms to feed themselves but they did not farm for profit like the south. They did not have free slave labor to make more profit. The south relied on agriculture for its economy, which means it is less
Cotton played a huge role in the lives of those living in the South and so they were much more agricultural then those living in the north. The south had the cheapest and best cotton in the world. Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin was supposed to reduce slavery but instead it had the reverse effect because the cotton industry was blowing up. The Southerners had large rich plantations were they grew their cotton and within these plantations they had many slaves working for them. The plantations economy rewarded size and this meant that bigger plantations were given more money than the smaller ones.
The North and the South stood as two distinct regions during the antebellum period in America. The North and the South were rapidly diverging in all aspects: cultural, economic, and technological. The Northern industrial sector was modernizing the North, and the economy was starting to become more dependent upon manufacturing. Culturally, the Women's Rights movement was advancing as more and more women fought against the Cult of Domesticity. Women entered the "man's sphere" and began to work in factories. In the South cotton became the cash crop and slavery was an integral part of their economy and culture. The views propounded by Southern elites of their home region and its way of life did not resemble those held by Northern observers of the
During the 1800s, life in America was very different depending on where, on the map, people were located, the North or the South. The North and the South were different in three ways, economically, politically, and, lastly, socially. Even through their differences, there were also a few simularites.
The Antebellum Era went along with the Industrial Revolution which was the transition to new manufacturing processes in the period from about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840. During this time period, various inventions were organized and new political ideas were supported. During this same time, the country’s economy began shifting in the north to manufacturing as the Industrial Revolution began, while in the south, a cotton boom made plantations the center of the economy. The Antebellum Era ultimately reshaped American society between 1820 and 1848 through political actions taken by Andrew Jackson, societal reforms to women’s rights and education, and economic increases from the Market Revolution.
In the 1800’s America was divided in two sections the North and the South that very distinct differences from each other called sectionalism first the North’s economy is based on Industry, factories,machines slums that were dirty and crowded everyday and dirty polluted air caused from many factories. The South had an economy based on agriculture which was farming various crops like cotton and indigo.
There was a big difference between the North and South referring to the economy. Northern states had small farms, but they were expanding and becoming more industrialized. Southern states on the other hand, started making farming their only income. It was difficult to find people willing to work on the farm, so they started forcing African American slaves to work for them. Almost all the Southern population were getting whipped on their back and chains on their neck. Things were different from the Northern Population they weren't
In the 1800s, the North and South started developing several ways. The North became more industrialized due to city growth. The South developed a huge cotton plantation industry. Regardless of these differences, the United States was still a rural country.