Regional Differences Between North And South

One nation divided; this is exactly what the United States of America was like in the early eighteen hundreds. The southern region of the United States seceded from the northern region forming a separate nation for a period of time. Each region had its very own distinct characteristics that separated the the two regions geographically, architecturally and culturally. They also differed in population, economy and transportation. There were many geographical differences between the North and the South in the early to mid eighteen hundreds.The same goes for the variety of climates that the north and south exhibited during the years. In the northern region the summers were long and warm while the winters were cold and snowy. The land was not …show more content…
The northern economy was based on a large variety of different industries. Some of the different industries were mining, fur, textile and lumber. Most of the people in the north lived on small family owned and family worked farms. Because of the lack of fertile soil, surpluses of food could not be produced. The manufacturing era came quickly after the people discovered how to create water power and steam plants. Manufacturing items such as iron and textiles was the start up of new categories of exports that were produced in large quantities. In an attempt to protect the northern industries the North favored the high tariffs on imported goods. They knew that the higher the taxes and tariffs the less the south would import to avoid unnecessary costs. In the south on the other hand the economy was not based on manufacturing but agriculture. The geography and climate in the south was perfect for producing large quantities of products such as cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar cane and indigo. “Cash Crop” is a name these crops went by meaning that they were purchased by consumers and they provided their grower with cash. because of the great quantities of these crops being grown the farmers needed to enlist slaves to plant, harvest and care for their crops. In seventeen ninety three after Eli Whitney created the cotton gin, a machine that separated the seeds out of cotton; cotton became the number one …show more content…
The north held many populated cities that brought a variety of immigrants and their cultures. This is why one of the biggest roles when determining culture of northerners was the cities. During this time the majority of the northerners were Protestant believers. The villages were the center of the community. Religious, educational and passtime activities were all held in these small village squares. In the north both religion and education were very important to the people and were organized. Almost everyone went to a primary school, than boys went to secondary school and only the most wealthy would have the honor of attending college. In the north, transportation improved and the United States almost doubled in size from previous years. By the year of eighteen sixty, there were over eighty eight thousand miles of surface roads. But a cheap source of transportation, handy for goods where the canals. The northern region was also the home to over thirty thousand miles of railroad track. Life in the south, unlike life in the north mostly revolved around a smaller wealthy class. The planters who were the owners of plantations were considered the upper class in their economy. Because of the size of the plantations, they were far apart and did not interact with other planters on a daily basis. Each