Sectionalism The definition of the word sectionalism is the restriction of interest to a narrow sphere. There were 3 main sections that practiced sectionalism in the 1800s. These sections were the North, the South, and the West. A few events that created sectional conflict were tariffs, slavery, representation, and states rights. There were many differences between the North and the South. For instance, the South were very agricultural as opposed to the North which were industrial. The South used cheap labor in the form of slaves, whereas the North had workers do their jobs in factories at a faster pace. Because of sectionalism, competition between the north and the south began to increase. They were arguing over the new territories