Division Between The North And The South During The Civil War

In many history classes, the division between the North and the South that resulted in the Civil War is on the long list of material to teach. The big divide was caused because of slavery. There were two different points of view on slavery in the United States. The South believed that slaves were property while the North thought slaves should be treated with the rights of a citizen. The South felt the newly formed Republican party in the North was threatening their highly dependent slave economy. The cause of the South seceding was because of the idea the North was attacking the South and the importance of the slavery in the South. The North and the South both had different political views that resulted in their views on slavery. The South used slavery to help their economy thrive. On the other hand, the North did not need slaves. The Republican Party, formed in

This divided can be seen in the many compromises between the two competing interests. In the Compromise of 1820, there was a line at the 36°30′. This compromise said state admitted above that line would be antislavery and any state below would be a slave state. In the years leading up to the Civil War though, this line soon vanished by the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. Through these compromises the South saw the changing debate. They realized the presence of slavery was endangered. The political leaders from the South saw that slavery drove the southern economy, and if the North did abolish slavery that their economy would be severely damaged. Also, the North, with an increasing population, was beginning to take control of the legislature. The South understood they need to take action. William Halcomb, a physician in the South, thought the only thing the South had left to do was to secede. So, in 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the