Sectionalism Dbq

The immense growth of industry and an increasing drive to move further westward from 1815 to 1860 marked a time that would forever change the fabric of America. Economic and territorial expansion would further drive sectionalism within the nation and disrupt national unity to a nearly unfathomable extent.

Watt and Boulton experimenting with steam in England, Whitney combining wood and steel and creating the cotton gin, Slater dividing factory work among men, Morse spanning a still growing nation with the telegraph, Field expanding transportation and linking the market with steamboats– these men and many more crafted a mighty revolution of industry. This great growth in economics marked the fall of agriculture in the great race for economic

Southern statesmen desired to hold the West and the South together as a single political party. The theory on which they based such hope was simple: they both produced raw materials and bought manufactured goods. The union of the two sections prior to further economic expansion seemed perfect. However, Northern statesmen were not blind to such interests and also recognized the importance of the formation of strong ties with the agrarian West and bringing their produce to the north. The development of canals and railways would cement this economic union, and the results were evident. Southern economists noted this change and claimed that the prospering North were forcing them into dependency. After the passing of a

The invention of the cotton gin created a market for cotton that the planters could hardly supply without cheap labor. Almost every available acre was brought under cotton culture as the small farmers were driven into the West. The demand for slaves to work the fields was enormous. This led to the development of the plantation system of the Far South and Southwest, where masters were near constantly extending their holdings of lands and slaves. Efforts to form new slave states were common, most prominent of these efforts was that to annex Texas. Though Texas had desired to be admitted as a slave state, Southern politicians, such as John L. O’Sullivan, lobbied for the region to enter the union as that meant renewed security to the planting interest against the increasing wealth and population of the North as well as power over the federal government in the legality of slavery (Document 3). Northern leaders were equally convinced that the Southern prophecy was true and aimed to prevent this annexation by voting in opposition to it during the congressional vote. However, as shown within the map of congressional votes, it was ultimately annexed due to the overwhelming majority of votes in favor of this acquisition of land for the union (Document 6). Just as this drive towards expansion spread, there appeared a new species of anti-slavery doctrine – the