Slavery, States’ Rights, and Sectionalism of the Civil War

Causes of the Civil War - North

• preserve the Union

• strong national government

• anti-slavery

• no expansion of slavery into new territories

• industrial/urban

• Northern Transcontinental Railroad

Causes of the Civil War - South

• independence

• strong state governments

• pro-slavery

• expand slavery into new territories

• agricultural

• rural

• Southern Transcontinental Railroad

Sectionalism

refers to the intense focus on regional interests and concerns at the expense of national unity; played a crucial role in the events leading up to the Civil War

Sectionalism - Economic Differences (North)

embraced industrialization, manufacturing, and a wage labor system; more urban and industrial

Sectionalism - Economic Differences (South)

relied heavily on agriculture, particularly the plantation system powered by slave labor

Sectionalism - Slavery (North)

moved toward abolitionism

Sectionalism - Slavery (South)

defended the institution of slavery, viewed it as essential to their economic and social systems

Tariffs - North

supported tariffs to increase domestic manufacturing in the US by making foreign goods more expensive

Tariffs - South

anti-tariffs because the South traded with European countries; forced to sell raw materials at a lower price and buy European goods at higher prices

Tariffs - West

benefitted from tariffs since the money from tariffs was used on US infrastructure, like roads and canals, that helped the west

Social - North

• urbanization

• increase in middle class

• immigrants (Irish and some Germans in cities)

Social - South

• predominately rural with few major cities

• whites, slaves, and a small percentage of free blacks lived in the south but few immigrants

Social - West

• growing population moved west looking for land and other financial opportunities such as lumber, cattle, and ores

Sectionalism - Economic Differences (West)

• inexpensive land and natural resources

• agricultue - grains and corn

• mining (metal ores and minerals)

Slavery - North

• outlawed slavery

• growing abolitionist movement

• anti-slavery groups, newspapers and the Underground Railroad began

Slavery - South

• common; most whites in the South did not own slaves, still benefited economically, socially, and politically from the system

• wanted to maintain a balance or keep control of Congress in order to protect slavery

Slavery - West

• political decisions decided on whether slavery would be allowed or prohibited in new states

Slavery - Impact on Slaves

• denied citizenship rights and other rights guaranteed by the Constitution; viewed as property

• did not receive wages for their work

• could not legally marry or have control of their children

Slavery - Impact on Freemen

• denied citizenship rights

• limited political rights and representation

• free blacks were forced to follow laws which denied their citizenship rights (not being allowed to own a gun, not travelling freely, not being allowed to work at certain jobs, etc)

• faced discrimination and segregation; children were denied an education

Slavery - Economic Impact on Freeman (South)

most free blacks worked as laborers, craftsmen, or household servants in towns

Slavery - Economic Impact on Freemen (North)

some free blacks owned their own land, homes, and businesses; most worked in low-paying jobs

States’ Rights

the idea that the states should have all powers that the Constitution does not give to the federal government or forbid to the states; idea is rooted in the 10th Amendment

The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

a series of resolutions passed by the legislatures of Kentucky and Virginia in 1798 and 1799; a response to the Alien and Sedition Acts; articulated the principles of states’ rights and state interposition as a response to perceived unconstitutional federal actions

Nullification Crisis (1832-1833)

an early example of states’ rights tensions; South Carolina opposed federal tariffs and viewed them as detrimental to Southern economic interests; highlighted the deepening divide between North and South over issues related to states’ rights

Fort Sumter

start of the Civil War; April 1861; conflict centered on the Southern states’ assertion of states’ rights and their rejection of what they perceived as Northern interference in their domestic affairs