“The debate over which powers rightly belonged to the states and which to the Federal Government became heated again in the 1820s and 1830s fueled by the divisive issue of whether slavery would be allowed in the new territories forming as the nation expanded westward.” (Trigger Events Of the Civil War). The North believed that the Federal Government held the power to rule slavery legal or not while the South believed that this power rightfully belonged to the states. The South wanted to be able to declare slavery legal because the majority of the South used slave labor. The debate over the ability for a territory to make slavery legal or illegal was a state right that eventually led to the Civil …show more content…
“The economic differences between the North and South led to conflict over another issue: tariffs. As the North industrialized, tariffs (taxes on imports) protected its industries and jobs from foreign competition. However, the South, which was increasingly committed to cotton and other staple cultivation, felt tariffs were little more than a transfer of wealth to the North through the higher prices for manufactured goods, both foreign and domestic.” (Economics and the Civil War). Higher tariffs meant more business for the North, but also meant that the imported goods would cost more and the South did not want to have to pay more for the same goods. These economic factors caused tension to continue growing between the Northern and Southern states. The South protesting against having tariffs and the Nullification crisis show just how significant tariffs were in creating more disputes between the North and South. (Economics and the Civil War). The South felt that tariffs only helped the North economically.