Regional economic interests led to social and political differences that seemed insurmountable
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4-6.1: Explain the significant economic and geographic differences between the North and
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It is essential for students to know:
The economies and way of life of the North and South developed differently as a result of
geographic conditions and the institution of slavery.
The South developed as an agricultural region because of its fertile soil and temperate climate
that permitted the growing of cash crops. The abundance of rivers for the transportation of
agricultural products to market also contributed to the development of the South’s economy.
The institution of slavery made a significant contribution to the development of the way of life of
the slave owners and their slaves and even impacted the majority of the population who did not
own slaves. Dependence of slavery intensified after the invention of the cotton gin. It was able to
speed up the process of deseeding cotton because of its design and ability to quickly remove the
seeds which was tedious and slow by hand. Short staple (fiber) cotton, which grew well across
the South, had been avoided as a cash crop because of the labor-intensive deseeding process.
With this obstacle surmounted, cotton became the cash crop of choice or “king cotton” and there
was a sudden demand to import more slaves before the process was outlawed (1808) to grow the
profitable crop. These factors, in addition to geographic isolation due to dependence on
agriculture, white elite attitudes that considered access to education a social and racial privilege
not open to the masses, as well as a lack of a unified emphasis on literacy all contributed to the
fact that there was little opportunity for public education in the South.
Because the North had rocky soil and a much shorter growing season, economic emphasis
rapidly shifted away from agriculture. The many natural harbors and abundance of lumber in the
region led Northerners to develop an economy based on shipbuilding and commerce. Factories
were built in the North that took advantage of the swift flowing rivers for water power. Many
Northern states gradually emancipated their slaves in response to the ideals of the Declaration of
Independence and because they were not as dependent on slave labor for their farms or factories.
The North thus came to believe in a free labor system, whereas the South came to depend on a
slave labor system. The industrial revolution brought many immigrants who found jobs in the
factories of the North. Population grew much more quickly than in the South, as did towns and
cities. The North also developed more transportation initially, with canal systems and later, and
to a greater degree with railroads. Greater numbers of banks and other businesses developed in
the North to serve the needs of the growing industry and population. Despite this economic
growth, the majority of the people in the North still lived on small farms at the time of the Civil
War, like their counterparts living in the South. Public education, including colleges, was a wellestablished
tradition in the North because of the early Puritan insistence on Biblical literacy as
essential to salvation as well as the Northern practice of settlement in towns rather than on
isolated farms. However, as in the South, the type and amount of educational opportunity varied,
depending on gender and social class.
The economies and way of life of the North and South developed differently as a result of
geographic conditions and the institution of slavery.
The South developed as an agricultural region because of its fertile soil and temperate climate
that permitted the growing of cash crops. The abundance of rivers for the transportation of
agricultural products to market also contributed to the development of the South’s economy.
The institution of slavery made a significant contribution to the development of the way of life of
the slave owners and their slaves and even impacted the majority of the population who did not
own slaves. Dependence of slavery intensified after the invention of the cotton gin. It was able to
speed up the process of deseeding cotton because of its design and ability to quickly remove the
seeds which was tedious and slow by hand. Short staple (fiber) cotton, which grew well across
the South, had been avoided as a cash crop because of the labor-intensive deseeding process.
With this obstacle surmounted, cotton became the cash crop of choice or “king cotton” and there
was a sudden demand to import more slaves before the process was outlawed (1808) to grow the
profitable crop. These factors, in addition to geographic isolation due to dependence on
agriculture, white elite attitudes that considered access to education a social and racial privilege
not open to the masses, as well as a lack of a unified emphasis on literacy all contributed to the
fact that there was little opportunity for public education in the South.
Because the North had rocky soil and a much shorter growing season, economic emphasis
rapidly shifted away from agriculture. The many natural harbors and abundance of lumber in the
region led Northerners to develop an economy based on shipbuilding and commerce. Factories
were built in the North that took advantage of the swift flowing rivers for water power. Many
Northern states gradually emancipated their slaves in response to the ideals of the Declaration of
Independence and because they were not as dependent on slave labor for their farms or factories.
The North thus came to believe in a free labor system, whereas the South came to depend on a
slave labor system. The industrial revolution brought many immigrants who found jobs in the
factories of the North. Population grew much more quickly than in the South, as did towns and
cities. The North also developed more transportation initially, with canal systems and later, and
to a greater degree with railroads. Greater numbers of banks and other businesses developed in
the North to serve the needs of the growing industry and population. Despite this economic
growth, the majority of the people in the North still lived on small farms at the time of the Civil
War, like their counterparts living in the South. Public education, including colleges, was a wellestablished
tradition in the North because of the early Puritan insistence on Biblical literacy as
essential to salvation as well as the Northern practice of settlement in towns rather than on
isolated farms. However, as in the South, the type and amount of educational opportunity varied,
depending on gender and social class.