The South Dbq

203 Words1 Pages
The South, as a whole, struggles economically. Aside from a few wealthy plantation owners, most of the population consisted of poor, subsistence farmers. They had few railroads, limiting trade and the use of free, slave labor prevented the South from industrializing, which caused the economy of the South to fall behind that of the North. While the northern economy was thriving, the South was struggling. Part of this stratification was due to the Transportation Revolution, which occurred largely in the North. It allowed the North to trade with the Midwest breadbasket, increasing economic opportunity and prosperity through the construction of railroads. Document H shows the railroad routes in the US in 1860. While the South had just a few railroad