Civil War and Reconstruction

Part 1: North and South Differences

Christian Jones
Based on Oklahoma EOI Standards
 Southern Economy
The South's economy relied heavily on agriculture.
Crops grew very well in the temperate climates and fertile soil.
The main crops―cotton, tobacco, sugar, and rice―required the
work of many people to be harvested, especially on large
plantations.
French convicts were cheap labor for the plantation owners in
Louisiana, but they were not skilled to work the fields.
Slavery was a source of cheap labor for plantation owners, and
they were familiar with farming, especially rice crops.
 Southern Economy
Colonists in Jamestown, Virginia, first used slaves in 1619.
Triangle Trade between Europe and Africa increased the number of
slaves quickly in the South.
The value of slaves to Southern plantations increased dramatically
when Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793.
The cotton gin was capable of separating cotton fiber and seeds
faster and more efficiently than people could, which meant more
cotton could be processed each day.
As more slaves were needed to harvest the cotton, the number of
slaves increased.
 Northern Economy
The North's cold climate made farming in this region difficult.
Also, most of the soil was rocky and lacked necessary minerals for
growing crops.
Instead, the North relied on industry for their economy.
The textile, or cloth, industry was very important in the North.
The South sent its cotton to New England factories, where workers spun it
into cloth to make clothes, bedding, and other fabrics.
As the Industrial Revolution came to America, more and more factories
were built in the North to make other goods which were sold all over
the U.S. The rapid construction of railroads provided the Northeast and
the Midwest with an extensive transportation system, which contributed
greatly to their economic stimulation.
 Abolition and Slavery

Fredrick Douglass
Grimké Sisters
Harriet Tubman
Sojourner Truth
William Lloyd Garrison
Fredrick Douglass
Born a slave in Maryland, Frederick
Douglass escaped in 1838 and
went to Massachusetts.
He published his autobiography
called A Narrative of the Life of
Frederick Douglass, An
American Slave in 1845.
He was a great speaker and gave
many speeches about his
experience as a slave.
Douglass fought to abolish slavery
and get equality for African
Americans.
 Grimké Sisters
Angelina and Sarah Grimké grew
up in a slave-owning family in
South Carolina.
They saw how rough and mean
slave owners were to their
slaves.
The sisters moved to Philadelphia
and spoke out against slavery.
The sisters also joined the Quakers
and used the Bible in their
arguments against slavery.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave
who helped other slaves escape on
the Underground Railroad, a
network of people and homes where
escaped slaves could go on their
way to the North or Canada.
Tubman was a conductor on the
Underground Railroad, which
meant she helped lead other slaves
on the path to freedom.
She made nineteen trips to the South
and helped over 300 slaves escape.
 Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth was one of the most
important African Americans in the
abolitionist movement.
She was born a slave called Isabella,
but she changed her name after she
achieved freedom.
She traveled as a speaker and became
very important to both the
abolitionist movement and the
women's rights movement.
She was a very effective speaker even
though she was illiterate.
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison was
an avid abolitionist.
He started an abolitionist
newspaper called The
Liberator in the 1830s.
Garrison called for the
immediate emancipation of
all slaves, and in 1833, he
started the American Anti-
Slavery Society with other
abolitionists.
 Sectionalism
Sectionalism occurs when a person identifies with a particular
section or region of the nation as opposed to identifying with
the nation as a whole, or nationalism.
While nationalism was high in the early 1800s, the dramatic
differences between the North and South led to a rise in
sectionalism.
Instead of feeling a sense of loyalty and pride for the United
States, people felt that pride for their own region.
This led the members of some states to hold doctrines such as
popular sovereignty and nullification.
 Popular Sovereignty
During the early and mid-19th century, popular
sovereignty was a term that meant allowing each
state or territory to decide for itself whether or not
slavery would be permitted.
As new states were admitted into the Union, the federal
government tried to keep an equal balance between
slave and free states.
When this was not plausible, new states were able to
decide the slavery question through popular
sovereignty.
 Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis was a conflict over states' rights.
Congress enacted tariffs in 1828 and 1832 on imported goods in order to protect American
factories.
In response to the tariff, Vice President John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, an advocate of states'
rights, wrote the "South Carolina Exposition and Protest" in which he argued that states could
declare an act of Congress null and void.
South Carolina decided to declare the tariffs null and void within their state, which meant they
refused to follow the federal law.
South Carolina thought that the tariffs were unfair because they were forced to pay higher prices
for goods.
South Carolina threatened to secede if the government tried to enforce the law, and President
Jackson was getting ready to send troops to South Carolina.
Henry Clay introduced a new tariff, which lowered the tax rates over a few years, and South
Carolina did not secede.
Vice President John C. Calhoun publicly disagreed with Jackson's position on the Nullification
Crisis, which led to Calhoun's resignation of the vice presidency in 1832.
 Webster-Hayne Debate
In 1830, Senators Robert Hayne of
South Carolina and Daniel
Webster of Massachusetts
debated whether or not states had
the right to nullify a federal law.
Robert Hayne argued that states had
the right to nullify a bill that
Congress had passed.
Daniel Webster argued that only the
Supreme Court had the right to
decide whether or not a law was
constitutional.