The North and South in Antebellum United States - 993 Words

The North and South in Antebellum United States In the time just before the Civil War, the United States was one of the most successful nations in the world. The United States had become the world’s leading cotton producing country and had developed industry, which would in the future, surpass that of Great Britain. Also, the United States possessed an advanced railroad and transportation system. However, despite its successes, the United States was becoming increasingly divided. The North and the South had many distinct differences in terms of their social, cultural, and economic characteristics that brought about sectionalism and, eventually, the Civil War. The North’s social structure was very different from that of the South.†¦show more content†¦Factories in the North attracted former subsistence farmers because it was more efficient to buy food rather than to grow it. Systems like the Lowell System employed young women, provided them with room and bo ard, and paid the women for their work in the factory. With the rise of numerous new American inventions, machines became more efficient and the United States had soon developed one of the best industrial economies in the world. Because of the need for effective transportation to distribute goods, new forms of transportation such as elaborate railroad and canal systems emerged. The south, on the other hand, clung to the slave-based plantation system. The economy was based largely on the production of raw materials, mainly cotton. Eli Whitney’s cotton gin allowed the cultivation of short staple cotton to bring Southern planters great success. Because the cotton industry was so lucrative, Southerners had no reason to become industrialized. However, the industrial economy of the North and the agrarian economy of the South led to a colonial relationship between the two, meaning that the South sold raw materials to the North in exchange for manufactured goods. The system put the South in an inferior position to the North, which obviously upset Southerners and led to greater tension between the two regions. In the years prior to the Civil War, the Northern and Southern regions of the U.S.Show MoreRelatedThe North And South Regions Of The United States1391 Words   |  6 PagesToday the North and South regions of the United States share similar lifestyles in regards to economy, industrialization, and basic rights. Both regions have major cities, playing a vital role in helping to keep the nation and the world for that matter, functioning. Each Northern and Southern state has a strong government which is home to a state congress and governor. However, during the antebellum period of the United States everything wasn’t as blissful as it is today. The antebellum period isRead MoreSimilarities And Differences Between The North And The South During Antebellum1120 Words   |  5 PagesCox 12-08-2014 Similarities and Differences between the North and the South during Antebellum The Antebellum period in the United States history was considered as time between 1820 and 1862. During this period, significant changes took place in terms of political, social and economic effects in America. The United States economy was changed from an underdeveloped country of frontiersmen and farmers into an industrialized economy. The South American depended on agriculture while the Northern partRead MoreRed, White, and Black Essay1123 Words   |  5 Pagesthe voracity in which the European Americans afflicted upon the native civilizations during the antebellum United States. 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