Economic Causes of the Civil War
By 1860, the North and the South had developed into two different regions; the North was an industrial society while the South was an agrarian society dependent on "King Cotton" and slave labor. The Northern industrial economy was comprised of a mutual relationship of wheat and the expansion of railroads -the marriage of iron and rye. German, Irish, and British immigrants created not only a diverse community, but help build Northern railroads and settled in the West. The South, in contrast to the North, resisted industrialization and manufactured little, requiring the importation of all manufactured goods. James Ham
Slave labor was the best and most profitable for slaveholders because slave labor was more productive than free labor. The North favored a loose interpretation of the United States Constitution, wanting to grant the federal government more powers. Highly profitable cotton accounted for 57% if all U. With the Panic of 1857, "King Cotton" proved to be superior. For the South, a high tariff would not allow the South to trade its cotton in exchange for foreign goods. While the Northern economy suffered badly due to false projections in railroads and faulty banking practices, the Southern economy remained stable. To keep tariffs low, the South preferred to do without these improvements. Planting, cultivating, and harvesting was huge undertaking, large workforces were required. The demand for cotton soared during the Panic of 1857, proving the superiority. The South felt these desires were discriminatory and that they favored Northern commercial interests. The South wanted to reserve all undefined powers to individual states. mond stated it best, touting the power of the slave-based economic system: "You dare not make war on cotton. To accompany the profit, more slaves were needed to work the machines and land.
Common topics in this essay:
United Constitution,
Eli Whitney's,
King Cotton,
James Hammond,
Civil War,
North South,
West South,
Irish British,
slave labor,
panic 1857,
,
federal government,
southern economy,
economy suffered,
internal improvements,
king cotton,
|