Differences Between The North And South Before The Civil War

Various sectional differences between the North and South existed before the Civil War began in 1861. For instance, the North was more industrialized, whereas the South consisted of mainly farms. However, the biggest difference was that the South was pro slavery, while the North was against it. Slavery being the main issue between the North and South involved The Fugitive Slave Act, The Underground Railroad, abolitionists, difficult living conditions and many emotions that were felt during this horrible time. The first slaves were brought to America onto ships. To do this, the whites used pieces of red flannel to lure the slaves onto the the ships. What made the experiences of slaves so emotional and terrifying was the fact that most families are …show more content…
This act permitted the recapture of former slaves. Some slaves who were caught on the run were taken by bounty hunters to be sold illegally. Runaway slaves were also beaten and tortured if they were found. However, not only were the slaves punished, but persecution was allowed to anyone who helped slaves escape. Slaves that successfully eluded seeked passage to The Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses that assisted the slaves to their journey to freedom. Slaves were given maps, compasses and weapons to find safe houses along the trip. The term “friend of friend” was used to let conductors, abolitionists and other runaway slaves know that they were there to help. One of the several abolitionists that helped many runaway slaves was Harriet Tubman. Harriet was lucky enough to be a slave who escaped successfully. She was also the conductor of the Underground Railroad and rescued 300 slaves without being caught. In the film, “Race to Freedom”, Harriet said “No different than the master’s whip, they both get in the way of freedom.” This displayed how committed Harriet was when it came to slaves gaining their