Final answer:
During 1830-1860, Northern attitudes towards slavery were largely influenced by moral concerns and economic factors, leading to the rise of abolitionist movements and political opposition to slavery's expansion. In contrast, Southern society generally viewed slavery as an economic necessity and a civilizing force, even while acknowledging the potential for insurrection. The deepening divide ultimately contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the United States during the period between 1830 and 1860, attitudes towards slavery significantly diverged between the North and South. The Northern perspective often challenged the institution of slavery on the grounds of morality, economic competition, and a belief in the dignity of labor. Many Northern workers felt that slavery suppressed wages and rebuffed the opportunity for white people to achieve economic independence. Conversely, Southerners generally defended slavery, partly due to the belief that it was an integral aspect of their economic success, particularly with crops like cotton, which required extensive labor. They also feared the consequences of a large, freed slave population.
The abolitionists, although initially a minority, played a significant role in highlighting the immorality of slavery and influenced public opinion by bringing the evils of the institution into the public consciousness. Political parties, such as the Liberty Party and the Free-Soil Party, emerged, intending to curtail the expansion of slavery. Over time, disagreements over the future of slavery became so pronounced that they led to the concept of an irrepressible conflict, as described by William H. Seward in 1858, which suggested the country must become either all slave-holding or all free.
Meanwhile, southern attitudes often reflected a belief that slavery was a positive aspect of society, one that ostensibly reformed the lives of enslaved people by exposing them to civilization and religion. Northern business elites, while profiting from slavery, also presented ambivalent views, and middle-class Northerners typically opposed slavery, as it contradicted their belief in the virtue of work. The division in attitudes and the increasing politicization of the issue led to mounting tensions that eventually sparked the American Civil War.