The Civil War claimed the lives of over 620,000 soldiers; these statistics were not equaled by the combined toll of any other American conflicts until the War in Vietnam. The devastation of the battles was received throughout the country and on both sides of the conflict. Due to the drastic economic differences in economies in the North, with its booming industry, and South, which had mainly cotton plantations, the Civil War was initiated. The opposing moral views of slavery, and therefore the political strain between the North and South was transfigured by the influence of the economy.
It is evident when reviewing both the economies of the North and South, that they had many differences. While the Northeastern part of the country generated income through manufacturing and industrial work, the South was strictly agricultural. The main export of the South was cotton and nearly all of the land was used to grow and clean cotton plants. With all of the cotton in the country grown in the South, they also had over 3.5 million slaves. The North, with only 430,000 slaves in border states, had 92% of the country’s industrial workers (Document 2). Naturally, with these drastic differences, sectionalism was created. Both economies were suited for the region they were applied in; changing the economy would have been a very difficult and expensive feat. The area that eventually became the Union North was more advanced …show more content…
When sectionalism is so defined in a country, and the citizens identify more with their state than their country as a whole, keeping a peaceful coexistence is difficult. As Abraham Lincoln predicted two years before his election and the start of the war, “A house divided against itself cannot stand” (Document 10). It was the inevitable fate that the United States would go to war
It is evident when reviewing both the economies of the North and South, that they had many differences. While the Northeastern part of the country generated income through manufacturing and industrial work, the South was strictly agricultural. The main export of the South was cotton and nearly all of the land was used to grow and clean cotton plants. With all of the cotton in the country grown in the South, they also had over 3.5 million slaves. The North, with only 430,000 slaves in border states, had 92% of the country’s industrial workers (Document 2). Naturally, with these drastic differences, sectionalism was created. Both economies were suited for the region they were applied in; changing the economy would have been a very difficult and expensive feat. The area that eventually became the Union North was more advanced …show more content…
When sectionalism is so defined in a country, and the citizens identify more with their state than their country as a whole, keeping a peaceful coexistence is difficult. As Abraham Lincoln predicted two years before his election and the start of the war, “A house divided against itself cannot stand” (Document 10). It was the inevitable fate that the United States would go to war