Question

Compare and contrast the northern and southern United States between 1800 and 1850. Write three or four paragraphs about the similarities and the differences between the two regions. Your essay should include discussions of the economy, social structure, daily life, and social attitudes. In your concluding paragraph, predict how society and attitudes will develop in the West. Which region would the West be more likely to side with on important issues?

Answer 1

The American Civil War in the 19th century between the North and the South was a good indication to the world of how truly divided America was. America didn’t start off as a cohesive industrial powerhouse owning most of North America, and it took time and effort to get that way. At the time, the most noticeable difference between the North and the South were the opposing sides’ economies. In the North, the economy was industrial, meaning that they produced a lot of raw materials and goods that you wouldn’t get from farming. The South differed from this as their economy was more of an agricultural style. This meant that the economy was primarily based off of goods obtained from farming.

The political standpoints of the North and South had direct correlations to what each side’s economy was based off of. The North opposed the idea of slavery while the South supported it as slavery fueled their economy. This is the main reason the North supported Jackson and his Democratic party while the South supported the Know-Nothing party (aka the Whigs). The goal of the Democrats was to abolish slavery and to support civil rights, but the Know-Nothing party needed slavery to continue in order to keep their economy from collapsing.

The social structure of the opposing regions was related to the political views of each side. Slavery was the main topic when regarding social structure in the North and the South, which is why the opposing sides both had completely opposite ideas. The South’s economy relied on slavery, thus their political views supported slavery, and their social structure supported slavery. The North however, did not rely on slavery for its economy, thus its political views opposed slavery, and their social structure didn’t include slavery.

Answer 2

The North was generally "Free-Soil." This meant that they supported the idea of wage-labor versus slavery; also they opposed the spread of slavery into Western territories, The North was very industrial.

The South's economy was based on slavery. Southern men believed that it was essential to their liberty to maintain slaves. The South had very little industry and was almost entirely an agrarian region.

The Western Territories were fought over between the North and the South for influence (whether or not they could bring slaves with them as settlers. Look into Missouri Compromise," Nullification Crisis (when South Carolina attempted to secede from the Union)," "Compromise of 1850."