preview

Civil War DBQ

Decent Essays

There were many economic differences between the North and the South that eventually led to the Civil War. One main difference was that The South's economy was based on agriculture and slave labor while the North's economy was more focused on manufacturing. According to Document 1a, “Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project” , it represents that the value of Northern manufacturing surpassed the value of Southern manufacturing. This shows that the Northern states had a very well off economy , which can partly be due to its geography and location along the coast which contributed to major trade. Another reason for the North’s good economy was because unlike the South the industrialized North generated their wealth through innovation …show more content…

One thing that South did that the North did not do was that it used slaves to tend its large plantations and other duties. The south also made a business of this and rented, traded and sold slaves to pay debts. Therefore, slaves were seen as property of individuals and businesses and represented the largest part of the region’s personal and corporate wealth. But not only did the North and South became divided economically because of manufacturing and railroad differences. It also became divided due to tariffs. When a protective tariff was established in 1828 to promote the industry of northern industrialists, many Southerners felt it unfairly targeted their agricultural-based economic system.This ultimately led to conflict between the two different economic …show more content…

Some of these differences were based on the extension of slavery into the territories. According to Document 2a, “Barnes and Dumond”, it states “Our object is, the overthrow of American slavery, the most atrocious and oppressive system of bondage that has ever existed in any country. We expect to accomplish this, mainly by showing to the public its true character and legitimate fruits’’. This reveals that the American Anti-slavery society opposed slavery because they believed that slavery was the most horrible bondage system that ever existed, And that it was contrary to the principles of religion, morals and humanity. Slavery was also a big factor when it comes to wars. For example, According to Document 4,”Massachusetts House of Representatives’’, it stated “by a powerful nation against a weak neighbor—unnecessarily and without just cause, at immense cost of treasure and life, for the dismemberment of Mexico, and for the conquest of a portion of her territory, from which slavery has already been excluded, with the triple object of extending slavery, of strengthening the “Slave Power,” and of obtaining the control of the Free States, under the constitution of the United States..” This shows that a reason that the Massachusetts legislature was opposed to the Mexican War was because they believed the war was unconstitutional and its main purpose was to extend slavery.

Get Access