Question

The great economic and social divisions between the North and South in the first half of the 1800s eventually led to the Civil War. During those prewar years, the North industrialized, urbanized, and became more reliant on wage labor. In contrast, the South remained a rural, agricultural society that focused on slavery to harvest cash crops like cotton and tobacco. Historians have often said that due to the huge differences between the two regions, the Civil War was inevitable. What do you think could have been done, if anything, to prevent the war? Also consider the issue of slavery, which became so central to the disagreements between the North and South. Could simple compromise or political debate between the two sides have eventually ended slavery without a war? Be sure to point to evidence from throughout this unit or that you have found on your own that supports your viewpoint.

Answer 1

The differences between the North and South were great both socially, economically, and politically. It is difficult to see the institution of slavery being ended in the South without the threat of violence or actual violence. The institution of slavery was believed to be integral to the Southern economy that it is hard to imagine it going away through compromise at that point in history.

Answer 2

Answer: The South totally depended on its slaves to run its rural, agricultural economy, while the North had factories and machines in which paid workers worked. There was a huge difference between the two regions, and they did not agree with one another in many things. The biggest one, however, was the issue of slavery. The South needed their slaves, but the North absolutely hated the idea. The two regions were always fighting. Unless the North would’ve made a concentrated effort to push the South toward a more industrialized region, war could not have been prevented. They needed to fight it out and somehow come to a conclusion… Since the South was so set on keeping its slaves, I hardly doubt that simple compromise or political debate could’ve ended slavery without war.