Civil War Economic Analysis

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The idea of the United States being broken into two areas, the North and the South, did not just exist in Civil War. These two areas of the United States were different ever since the colonial days. However, this division grew more distinct in the 1800s due to the North and South’s different economies being affected unequally by rapid economic expansion. The North’s slave-free, industrial economy multiplied while the South’s slave dependent cash crop economy was barely affected by the growth. The new economic development during this time caused cultural and political differences to intensify, creating a rift within the country. Eventually, the North and South grew too far apart, and just like the splitting of an atom, the consequences of the …show more content…

The North began working with the West to invest in canals, such as the Erie Canal, that would make transportation between the regions faster, which made crops cheaper. The South never participated in this because they were too invested in slaves. Furthermore, the Tariff of Abominations was the first major blow in separating the North and West from the South, as it taxed corn, wheat, and cotton cloth, all of which were grown in the South. This was the first major law passed by the North and the West, and it infuriated the South so much that it nearly caused the Civil War to break out 30 years early (Ellis, 15). This increased tension would lead to even more tensions, going as far as to create conspiracies about the other region, and destroying the likelihood of future compromises, which made the likelihood of the country avoiding war nearly impossible. The Republican Party was monumental in the events leading up to the Civil War because the party was regional and believed in a strong national government that promoted industry and big business, which supported North economy (Ellis, 19). The Republicans also supported abolishing slavery because northerners believed slavery limited opportunities in the free market for whites as well as blacks (Ellis, 19), which horrified those in the South because Republican ideas would decimate their society. Furthermore, the Republicans were a regional party, so the North was able to vote Lincoln into office with no support from the South, which was troublesome for the entire country because now there was a party that did not need to compromise with the South to get its laws passed. The tensions in the United States were explosive at this point and having a party that did not need compromise would be a blow that

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