Question

Why was the south slower to industrialize than the north?

Answer 1

The South has better soil, making it more profitable to grow and sell crops or raise livestock. The North has better ports and harbors but poorer soil, leading to factories being much better for profit.

Answer 2

The Southern economy was based mostly on the plantation system, the southern geography and soil were favorable for that and because of that difference from the Northern States, the South was slower to industrialize.

Also, the Civil War had a big impact on the Southern industrialization, because of the Total War policy taken by the Union Army, the South was destroyed and took a while to recover.