Starting with the initial beginning of the United States as an independent nation, there had always been significant differences between the northern and southern states. The difference in the economic situation of these states had a significant influence on their social and political differences. Social differences made it difficult for people from either side to see from tthe other's perspective and political differences stemmed from the social and economic differences. While the United States was a united nation, the North and the South had many social, political, and economic differences that caused the division and strife that would eventually lead to the Civil War.
The social differences between the North and South manifested themselves …show more content…
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was one result of such strife. The act invalidated the Missouri Compromise which had been passed to solve the issue of whether or not new states admitted into the Union would be free states or slave states. The act allowed new states to decide for themselves whether or not they would allow slavery. This resulted in the new states being flooded with people from both sides trying to swing the state one way or another resulting in violence, chaos, and bloodshed. The Dred Scott Case was another example of the political battle between the North and South. Dred Scott, a slave, was suing for his freedom. This was the first time that a case with an African American had ever gone all the way to the supreme court. Dred Scott, who had moved with his master to a free state and then back to a slave state argued that because he had resided in a state where slavery was illegal he was now entitled to his freedom. The court's decision was monumental in that it implicated that, constitutionally, African Americans, regardless of their situation, were not considered to be citizens of the United States. Another major point of political dispute was Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was the founder of the Republican party which was started as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and was pro-abolition. He became well known during his series of debates with Frederick Douglass which were centered on the issue of slavery. He was hated by the South for his anti-slavery
The social differences between the North and South manifested themselves …show more content…
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was one result of such strife. The act invalidated the Missouri Compromise which had been passed to solve the issue of whether or not new states admitted into the Union would be free states or slave states. The act allowed new states to decide for themselves whether or not they would allow slavery. This resulted in the new states being flooded with people from both sides trying to swing the state one way or another resulting in violence, chaos, and bloodshed. The Dred Scott Case was another example of the political battle between the North and South. Dred Scott, a slave, was suing for his freedom. This was the first time that a case with an African American had ever gone all the way to the supreme court. Dred Scott, who had moved with his master to a free state and then back to a slave state argued that because he had resided in a state where slavery was illegal he was now entitled to his freedom. The court's decision was monumental in that it implicated that, constitutionally, African Americans, regardless of their situation, were not considered to be citizens of the United States. Another major point of political dispute was Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was the founder of the Republican party which was started as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and was pro-abolition. He became well known during his series of debates with Frederick Douglass which were centered on the issue of slavery. He was hated by the South for his anti-slavery