Differences Between the North and South on the Eve of War (Essay Sample)

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The American civil war
To commence with, the civil war in the United States between the north and the south was fought between 1861 and 1865 (Douglass). The civil war majorly determined the survival of the Confederacy. The United States in 1861 composed of 34 states in which eleven of them constitute the slave states located in the north. The states later grew in number to thirteen and purposed to secede from the entire United States. Further, the states in the south composed vast African Americans populations. This paper will establish factors that contributed to the civil war as well as institute the immediate and longstanding differences between the north and the south on the eve of the civil war in 1861.
Differences between the north and the south
One of the key difference between the south and the north is based on the black population being free. In the North, slavery was completely abolished and as a result in many states in the north such as New York, Ohio and Massachusetts individuals were free from slavery. The Blacks in the states free of slavery could work for pay although discrimination was still rampant (Mott). Conversely, very few black individuals in the South were free. The economy of the South was based on slavery.
Another significant dissimilarity between the north and the south is on the economic disparities. In the period before 1861, the south was composed of slaves who worked on the plantation (The Great American Question). The slaves lived in poor conditions, and all the produce was transported to the north for industrial processing. The North was characterized by industrial development and free labor. As such, the South was economically not progressing, rather the resources in the south were continually being exploited for the benefit of the north. Additionally, most of the economic investment by immigrants from Europe was to a large extent on the north since there was an enabling environment, unlike the south.
The other fundamental difference between the south and the north is politically founded. The northerner tended to align themselves with the wig party that collapsed in the 1850s. On the other hand, the southerner aligned themselves with the Democratic Party. Although it was rare, abolitionism is more clearly envisaged to be typical in the north.
Other significant differences between the north and the south include the climatic and geographical structuralism. For instance, the northern climate and soil favored smaller scale farming and homestead unlike the southern where large plantations were favorable. Other aspects of transportation, the southerners relies on water transport while the northerner used road transport during the 1860s.
Factors that contributed to the civil war
Slavery in various perspectives provided to the civil war to a large extent. For instance, one of the trigger events of the civil war includes the Missouri compromise. The Missouri compromise characterized Congress in 1803 felt the need to expand slavery into the western territories (Political Parties in the United States,1820-1860). The Missouri legislator who was pro-slavery triggered a bitter debate in Congress while they advocated for the expansion of slavery. Consequently, some groups was anti-slavery, and the crush in agreement of the Missouri compromises reached after the Congress debates were not satisfactory. The crash in the compromises sparked the civil war. The other factor regarding slavery that contributed to the civil war includes the abolitionist movements that began arising in the early 1830s. The abolitionist movements worked or lobbied for stopping of slavery. The abolition movement constitutes both blacks and whites.
The Abraham Lincoln election also prompted the start of the civil war. Lincoln stood for the presidency in 1860 promising the people that he would use federal power to keep in check slavery (The Soil party Platform). Additionally, Lincoln promised to promote free labor in all the states, subsidies for railways, and open houses in the West among others. Lincoln having been elected on a Republican ticket, had no support from the South and won against Douglas and Breckinridge all from the south. After Lincoln winning, the southern radicals incited a crisis by plotting secessionist movements and campaigns. Several weeks after South Carolina declared its decision to secede, seven other states joined. The seceding states formed an interim government of the Confederacy. In this light, Abraham Lincoln being elected as the president of the United States ignited the civil war of 1861.
Lastly, the rejection of secession...