slavery and sectionalism in america
Chloé Boury 10.11.14
Mr. Ellinghaus
SST 9C
Slavery and Sectional differences in the 19th century
In the beginning of the 19th century, sectionalism in the United States referred to the different political values, customs, and lifestyles of the North and South in the United States. The north believed in industrialization and trade whilst the south was based on agriculture and slavery. Northerners tried to abolish slavery whilst the south tried to expand the slave states to improve the agriculture industry. These differences contributed to the ever-increasing hostility between the two regions.
In the northern part of the United States, industrialists and politicians denounced slavery. They considered it as an evil practice and some of the population thought that it did not belong in a nation that had been created to protect human rights. Also, as more slave states would emerge, free states would have less representation in congress, creating an imbalance when it came to voting for laws. The North supported abolitionist movements such as the Underground Railroad, which consisted of helping slaves escaped to Canada and northern regions where they would be protected. On the other hand, the entire economy of the south depended on the slave industry. Cotton, tobacco, and rice plantations relied heavily on slave labor. With Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin in 1793, cotton became the main cash crop cultivated in the south. The machine speeded up the process of cleaning cotton fibers, therefore augmenting the need for workers and cheap labor. Land owners justified their actions by saying that slaves would not be able to survive on their own if not cared for. By 1850, more than forty percent of the southern population was consisted of African Americans.
As America began to expand with the Louisiana Purchase and the lands won after the Mexican war, the question was whether new states would be introduced into the union as slave or free. In the beginning of the 19th
Mr. Ellinghaus
SST 9C
Slavery and Sectional differences in the 19th century
In the beginning of the 19th century, sectionalism in the United States referred to the different political values, customs, and lifestyles of the North and South in the United States. The north believed in industrialization and trade whilst the south was based on agriculture and slavery. Northerners tried to abolish slavery whilst the south tried to expand the slave states to improve the agriculture industry. These differences contributed to the ever-increasing hostility between the two regions.
In the northern part of the United States, industrialists and politicians denounced slavery. They considered it as an evil practice and some of the population thought that it did not belong in a nation that had been created to protect human rights. Also, as more slave states would emerge, free states would have less representation in congress, creating an imbalance when it came to voting for laws. The North supported abolitionist movements such as the Underground Railroad, which consisted of helping slaves escaped to Canada and northern regions where they would be protected. On the other hand, the entire economy of the south depended on the slave industry. Cotton, tobacco, and rice plantations relied heavily on slave labor. With Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin in 1793, cotton became the main cash crop cultivated in the south. The machine speeded up the process of cleaning cotton fibers, therefore augmenting the need for workers and cheap labor. Land owners justified their actions by saying that slaves would not be able to survive on their own if not cared for. By 1850, more than forty percent of the southern population was consisted of African Americans.
As America began to expand with the Louisiana Purchase and the lands won after the Mexican war, the question was whether new states would be introduced into the union as slave or free. In the beginning of the 19th