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Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin
The creation of the Cotton Gin in 1791 by Eli Whitney increased tensions between the North and the South because it allowed cotton to be highly profitable in the South, which in turn increased slavery, which had previously been decreasing. It is after the cotton gin is created we see a surge of new plantation owners and slaves in the South. This key sectional difference and disagreement, for the North didn't agree with increasing slavery, is the start of tension and future disagreements. -
Protective Tariffs (Tariff of 1816, etc)
The Tariff of 1816 passed on textiles to protect US industry, particularly this tariff favored New England. The South opposed the tariff for it made textiles that plantation owners needed to clothe slaves more expensive, thus less profitable. This also changed NE, and the North in general into an industrialization sector. Tariffs are another great example of open and direct sectionalism and favoritism towards one region over another, which just heightened tensions mainly between the North and S. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise, which admitted Missouri into the US as a slave state and Maine into the US of a free state, also further sectionalized America by giving a geographical line that the US by naming a 36’30 line which didn’t allow slavery above it and allowed slavery below. This even further named the United States as two parts instead of one united country. This supported sectionalism rather than nationalism by allowing slavery in the South and not in the North, it caused key differences. -
Nullification Crisis
The nullification crisis began with Jackson imposing a tariff on textiles to protect NE companies, South Carolina refuses and says that they are nullifying the tariff. Jackson responds by saying that if they refuse, he will declare them as treasonists. This further still sectionalized the country by almost literally separating the country and once again the sectional differences left the country in turmoil. -
Mexican War
The Mexican war, which one would think would unite the United States, actually left America in an even bigger state of dissolution, $100 million dollars in debt, 13k casualties, and the continued issue of slave expansion into the ceded Mexican territory. This also brought to light the upset of balance of political power between the North and the South. This further aided in the severance of the North and the South.Thus further sectionalizing the United States. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850, although intended to unite the United States by (temporarily) solving the issue of slavery in the new state of California and in the New Mexico territory, the compromise was a wilmot proviso, passed through legislation in hopes of passing many controversial bills at once to try and solve the issue of slavery. This only further heightened tensions between the North and the South by simply putting a “band aid over a bullet hole” and not truly solving the issue of slavery. -
Election of 1860
South Carolina declares that if Abraham wins the election they will succeed the United States. When Lincoln wins the presidency, a few months later South Carolina succeeds the United States.This is the final straw for the South, for they knew that because of the Compromise of 1850 and Lincoln’s presidency,that the push for slavery to end,would greatly increase and they worried that the North would try to abolish slavery.The South worried that the North’s power would allow them to abolish slavery
