Compare And Contrast The North And South After The Civil War

Brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, war can tear people apart. The Civil War had United States citizens fighting one another for two different ways of life. Before the Civil War, a series of events created a chain reaction on how the war would eventually take place. Some of those factors were driven by Northern states who feared the expansion of slavery, and Southern states who demonstrated concern for industrialization that could demolish the free work force that they relied on for a stronger economy and trade relations with other countries. Multiple events ignited the Civil War. Both the North and South had different standing points in each situation, and their foundations were built on the fear of losing their prosperous

Southerners that utilized the free work force consisted primarily of plantation owners, since the land they owned was ideal for cotton production. Due to free labor, plantation owners did not have to pay workers for cotton that was harvested, slaves were considered to be their property. This system that was developed opened a doorway for stronger trade relations with European countries, which led to Southern states heavily relying on cotton production to obtain economic wealth within their society, limiting their industrial growth. What about the North? Northern states didn’t have as much in the means of fertile land for cotton production, so families relied on each other and their community to harvest and trade crops to sustain life. With the riches that Southern states had from cotton production, the North was able to industrialize areas into small cities. This was a balance created between the North and South at the time, but a severe divide was underlying their system. This divide would continue to grow as each side gained different economic

In 1818, the United States had an equal amount of free and slave states, until Missouri claimed statehood and was an undecided state, that led to a crisis on how to keep the equilibrium of the states. Secretary of State, Henry Clay thought of ways to alleviate this conflict, thus creating the Missouri Compromise. The compromise stated that Maine, another undecided state, is to claim as free while Missouri claimed as a slave state, keeping the balance of free and slave states. This created a divide between the North and South, it was clear that the line that was drawn between the two new states extended all throughout Westward territories. In 1850 the California Gold Rush occurred, which created another layer of friction between the North and South. Both wanted to expand their lifestyles westward, but they didn’t want to collaborate to create a stronger nation. The country remained divided while disputes over the state of California rose, for it was both above and below the compromise line. Northerners were afraid that if California became a slave state, the South would attempt to make the majority of the country into cotton plantations, while the South feared the North would make California a free state and see it as a doorway to abolish slavery, eliminating the free work force they relied on so