Sectionalism In The Late 1800s

Imagine that you are working on a cotton plantation in the middle of Georgia. The sun is blazing hot and your hands are callused from separating cotton from cotton seeds. You are only able to clean about one pound of cotton a day. That isn't enough to satisfy the demands of textile factories in the North. If only there was a faster, more efficient way to clean cotton. Maybe there will be. After all, the industrial revolution is just getting started. During the war of 1812, Britain tried to stop imported goods from reaching America. The British Navy set up a blockade of ships to prevent foreign goods from getting to America. During that time, Americans relied heavily on imported goods. They were suddenly forced to start manufacturing goods that

began producing different products, Americans began to rely on each other more. The South provided the cotton for textile factories in the North and the West provided food for the nation. Sometimes this brought the nation closer together, which increased nationalism. The only problem was: because different parts of the country had different interests, there were often disagreements and feelings of sectionalism. Transportation and communication were improved throughout the Industrial Revolution which helped bring more of a feeling of nationalism. In 1807, Robert Fulton invented a steamboat that could withstand strong wind and the current. Unfortunately, Robert Fulton’s steamboat was not quite built to the necessary perfection and needed improvements to help it make it back on one of its trips. In 1811, Henry Miller Shreve improved Fulton’s steamboat to make it able to travel up the strong Mississippi River. Now people and goods could get transported farther and faster. Now that travel was easier along Rivers, cities grew. Transportation was getting easier on water and on land. During the Industrial Revolution many canals and roads were built, which connected cities and united the nation more. When the National Road was completed in 1818, the nation was even more united. Travel was made easier and trade increased. The Erie Canal made the Ohio River Valley and Great Lakes Region more available for settlement and trade when it was finished in 1825. When the steam-powered train began to be used in 1830, transportation on land was made easier. Before all of the improvements in transportation, the nation was more separated and there was a stronger feeling of sectionalism. Trade and transportation were not as convenient. All of these newly accessible transportation routes helped increase trade, make traveling faster, and bring a feeling of nationalism to the