SECTIONALISM

Regional Differences

Agricultural, slavery

Just trying

to survive

Industrial, Dense

population, anti-slavery

• What is the difference between nationalism and sectionalism?

• Nationalism – a feeling of pride, loyalty, and protectiveness toward your country. Loyalty to one’s nation as a whole.

• Sectionalism – the loyalty to the interest of your own region or section of the country, rather than to the nation as a whole.

What kind of differences were there between the regions as the nation

grew?

–What kind of political differences?

–What kind of economic differences?

–What kind of social differences?

Complete the chart as we view and discuss the following information.

Political Economic Social

North

South

West

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NORTH

Political– It supported high tariffs to protect

manufacturing.– It supported federally funded internal

improvements like canals, roads, and railroads so they could have transportation to their markets.– In the 1840’s and 1850’s they began to

oppose slavery.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NORTH

Economic–Agriculture was diversified (wheat, corn, dairy).

It was more scientific and Northerners developed more farm machines that the South did.– Fishing and whaling were still important to the

Northeast.–Manufacturing• It replaced shipping as the main business of

the Northeast.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NORTH

Economy (Transportation of goods)

• The transportation system was designed to get goods to the ocean.

• The main transportation in the South was rivers, streams, and intercoastal routes.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NORTH

Social• Immigration served as one of the major

social issues in the North.• This immigration tended to create low

wages and encouraged child labor.• Women’s Suffrage and Abolition of slavery

were other social reforms the North was focused on.

• Abolitionists believed that slavery was morally wrong.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOUTH

Political–Protecting slavery was of the utmost

importance to Southerners.– Fighting tariffs was paramount to

Southerners since tariffs increased the price of goods imported from Europe.– Southerners were against internal

improvements because it cost money and it did not meet their transportation needs.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOUTH

EconomicHome of the “cotton kingdom”—Cotton

replaced linen and wool as the major fiber for cloth.

Tobacco still was the major crop in the Upper South.

Rice and sugar were still important crops in South Carolina and Louisiana.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOUTH

Economy (Transportation of goods)

• The transportation system was designed to get goods to the ocean.

• The main transportation in the South was rivers, streams, and intercoastal routes.

• Slavery was an important part of the Southern economy. The feeling was that slavery must follow expansion.

• The South was agriculturally self-sufficient.• It provided its own corn, wheat, and livestock.• There was little manufacturing in the South.• The economy was still tied to Great Britain.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOUTH

Social- Slavery served as one of the largest social

issues of the south- Not everyone was in favor of slavery, but most

were in favor of states rights- Only 1 in 4 Texans owned slaves

• Middle class farmers and lower class farmers supported slavery even though few had twenty slaves or more.–They hoped to have slaves themselves.

–They were afraid of slave rebellion and competition from free blacks.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WEST

Political–Westerners wanted low priced or free land

in the West.–They supported federally financed internal

transportation improvements.–The West tended to support protective

tariffs to pay for internal improvements without raising the price of federal land.–The Northwest and Southwest disagreed

on slavery.

Economic–Fur traders were the first Americans to

move west.–Frontier farms followed. The farmers

typically lived in log cabins and they were basically self-sufficient.–The economy of the West depended on

turnpikes, canals, steamboats, and railroads

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WEST

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WEST

• Social– In the wake of the War of 1812, many nationalistic

Americans believed that God intended for them to spread democracy and Christianity across the entire continent.

Looking at your chart, notice the economic and political differences.

Was the Civil War unavoidable? Could a compromise have been met?