North vs. South

The path of the north: After the war of 1812 and gaining independence, Northerns focused on industry and jobs Machine inventions and factories that were introduced during the Industrial revolution kept the interest of the North Capitalists focused attention on the North because of the growth of factory work and how quickly profit could be made. Capitalists also poured $$ into northern factories to ensure they were stable and could advance their already cutting edge technology.

The North became the center of business As more factories were built, and more jobs created, cities grew larger This created some problems but people were willing to put up with it to be part of this new business model As US workers tried to keep up with the demand for jobs and production, immigrants also saw this as an opportunity to get a better life and immigrated in large numbers from Germany and Ireland. Not all Americans were receptive and accepting to immigrants. Capitalists continued to pump $$ into Northern industry and business.

The path of the south: With the demand for cotton reaching all time highs in the north, Southern plantations tried to keep up...which meant they would need more slave labor Southern whites felt conflicted about increasing their slave labor force: more slaves meant more $$ and crop harvesting but it also meant more slaves to manage and fear With cotton as their main source of income, most southerners would do anything to protect the crop and the work that helped that happen. The North depended on the south for the raw cotton product, so there was great pressure on southern plantations to produce.

Division was inevitable With the north and south at odds over slavery it was inevitable that the civil war was on the way… Both regions had different focus and priority and both felt their way was the BEST way. Neither north or south was willing to compromise.