1. II. Sectional Differences
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2. Terms and People Tariff of 1816 Capital Labor union Nativist
Cotton gin

3. Background Information
Era of Good Feelings
James Monroe won the Election of 1816
5th President, March 1817-March 1825
Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison and then Monroe
Political differences seemed to fade
Boston newspaper
“Era of Good Feelings”

4. Monroe First President to travel the country since Washington
Paid his own expenses and without escort
Traveled to former Federalist strong holds
Boston
He was a Dem-Rep
Traveled South to Savannah & West to Detroit
Won Reelection in 1820.

5. What was Sectionalism?
People developed strong allegiances to the regions where they lived
People were “Southerners” or “Westerners” or “Northerners”
Sectionalism grew over political issues
Slavery
Southerners thought it was necessary
Northerners opposed its practice
Westerners were often neutral
Tariffs
National Bank
Internal Improvements

6. A. The North Embraces Industry
Despite Jefferson’s hopes for an agriculturally based economy, industry spread throughout the North
Conditions were favorable for manufacturing in the northeast because:
There were many fast flowing rivers to power machinery
Access to capital ($) to build factories
Ready supply of factory workers
Remember, the South invested its land and resources in agriculture

7. A. The North Embraces Industry
1. Why Industrialization Spread
Remember The Embargo of 1807 and
The Embargo Act of 1807 was a general embargo enacted by the United States Congress against Great Britain and France during the Napoleonic Wars. The embargo was imposed in response to violations of U.S. neutrality and the seizure and impressment of U.S. Merchantmen
The War of 1812
Cut-off American access to British goods
After the War, British goods flowed into the U.S. and threatened to overwhelm our new manufacturers

8. Tariff of 1816
Tariff of 1816 allowed American businesses to expand because Congress placed a high tariff on imported goods to protect American manufacturing
Increased the price of imported goods 20%-25%
This encouraged Americans to buy American-made products

9. B. Social Change in the North
Workers Organize
Unskilled labor was cheap and readily available
Hurt highly-skilled artisans like blacksmiths, shoemakers, and tailors
Artisans sought political change
Formed the Workingmen’s Party to compete in elections
Free public education
Working day reduced from 12 hours to 10
The right of workers to organize (unionize)
Strike!

10. B. Social Change in the North
A middle class emerged
Bankers, lawyers, accountants, office workers
Neighborhoods became segregated based on social class and race
In the middle class women stayed home with the children to care for the home
Working class families all had to work to support the family

11. North: The Land of Opportunity
Immigration boomed between
Immigrants from Ireland and Germany came in hordes to America’s northern cities
Escaping political upheavals, economic depression, and famine
Immigrants worked in factories, construction sites, the docks, and even became domestics
Nativists campaigned for laws to limit immigration

12. C. Southern Agriculture Economy and Society
Agriculture was the leading industry in the South
Cotton Production Surges
Cotton became the premier crop during the 1790’s
In 1793 Eli Whitney invented the Cotton Gin
Reduced the amount of time it took to separate cotton seeds from the cotton fibers
American South produced 60 % of US and Europe’s cotton

13. Slavery in the South
In the 1780’s Washington, Jefferson, and Madison thought slavery would slowly fade away in the south
The rise in Cotton production increased the demand for slaves
In million slaves
In million slaves
Overseas slave trade was outlawed in 1808
Illegal slave trade was practiced
And some fading tobacco farmers became slave traders
In 1802 slaves sold for $600, by 1860 they went for as much as $1,800

14. Economic Consequences
Cotton was so profitable that most farmers focused primarily on one crop
When prices plummeted many farmers were bankrupt
So much land was dedicated to farming, the South did not develop cities, or diversified trade markets
Because there were few cities, many immigrants settled in the northern, industrial centers causing the population in the North to grow quickly
Most of the population of the South was enslaved, poor, and unable to contribute to the economy
Few factories were built due to the focus on agriculture

15. Cultural Consequences
Planters opposed education for slaves and poor Whites
Very few slaves or free Blacks could read
15% of poor Whites were illiterate—3 times higher than in the North and the West!
Wealthy Whites developed a sense of entitled superiority causing a social divide

16. Slavery Slavery was central to Southern life, but…
In 1860 only 25% of white southern men held slaves
75% of those slaveholders had fewer than 10 slaves
Typical slaveholder lived in a modest farmhouse and had 4 or 5 slaves
About 3,000 white men owned 100 or more slaves
Then why did southern Whites defend slavery?

17. Defending Slavery
The answer lies in the aspirations of the common farmers…
They dreamed of someday owning a plantation and several slaves
And in fear…
They feared revenge if the slaves were freed
And in racial solidarity
Even the poorest white farmer felt he was superior to a slave or even a free Black man

18. Defending slavery Southern farmers took pride in their independence
They were not dependent upon rich industrialists for a pay-check
They credited that independence to a social structure built on slavery
By the 1850s, Southerners had stopped defending slavery as a necessity and began touting it as a positive good!