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The South’s fixation with the production of cotton in the 1830s-40s stemmed from its immense profitability and international demand. At this point, England sourced 80% of all its cotton from southern plantations for their advanced textile mills. Although England had banned slavery before the United States, it still profited from the works of enslaved individuals. This increased division between Northern and Southern states due to differing opinions on the politics of slavery. Varon, 137 -
The Methodist and Baptist churches divided into Northern and Southern branches primarily because of disagreements over slavery and the practice of slaveholding. These divisions highlighted that religion alone could not maintain national unity. They strengthened regional identities, provided moral justification for each side, and indicated that the conflict over slavery was escalating toward civil war.
Britannica (no year) -
The Second Great Awakening was a widespread evangelical revival that transformed politics and religion in America. Mass gatherings and new societies formed to spread the word of God while also pushing political agendas. Many in the North condemned slavery as a moral sin, while those in the South spread the word that God approves of slavery and that it is justified within the teachings of the Bible.
My notes -
Black denominations in the South had to navigate the challenges posed by pro-slavery laws while holding onto their anti-slavery beliefs. Some congregations were forced to either restrict Black autonomy or leave their church entirely. This situation underscored the moral and sectional conflicts over slavery, demonstrating that even religious life in the South was intertwined with the institution of slavery.
Pew Research Center 2021 -
Proposed amendment banning slavery in any territory gained from the Mexican American War. Though it never passed, it inflamed sectional tensions by forcing Congress to confront whether new lands would be free or slave states. Northerners largely supported it, Southerners opposed it, and the debate deepened the political divide, setting the stage for conflicts that eventually led to the Civil War. McPherson, 78 -
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was the treaty that stated that the US would acquire Mexico and its surrounding territories, such as California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. These territorial gains reignited the debate over the expansion of slavery during westward expansion in the United States. Differing opinions on maintaining peace between free and slave states, how to even out congressional power, further deepened sectional divide.
National Archives -
Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel exposing the brutal realities of slavery. It became a bestseller in the North, fueling anti-slavery sentiment and outrage against the South. Southerners condemned it as propaganda. The book intensified sectional tensions by shaping public opinion, mobilizing abolitionist support, and making compromise over slavery increasingly impossible
my notes -
Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, intending to arm enslaved people for an uprising. The raid failed, and Brown was captured and executed, but the event terrified Southern slaveholders. They feared widespread Northern support for violent abolitionism, increasing calls for secession and making conflict over slavery inevitable.
my notes -
In an effort to prevent secession, Senator John J. Crittenden proposed a series of constitutional amendments aimed at protecting slavery in Southern states and territories located south of the 36°30′ line. However, the compromise failed in Congress, highlighting that legislative solutions could not resolve the deepening sectional divide. This failure pushed Southern states closer to secession and ultimately contributed to the onset of war.
Britannica (no year) -
On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces in South Carolina opened fire on Fort Sumter, a Union fort in Charleston Harbor. The attack signaled the failure of months of political compromise over secession and slavery. It rallied the North to call for troops, strengthened Southern resolve, and directly triggered the secession of Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, officially starting the Civil War.
my notes