Essay On The Antebellum South

“The developments in the North were those loosely embraced in the term modernization and included urbanization, industrialization, and mechanization. While those changes went forward apace, the antebellum South changed comparatively little, clinging to its rural, agricultural, labor-intensive economy and its traditional folk culture” (C. Vann Woodward, 1951). Between the end of the War of 1812 in 1815 and the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861, the United States experienced a forty-six year period without war called the Antebellum; antebellum literally meaning “before war”. Obviously, the North and the South were different for many reasons, however, they did have similarities as well, both to be explored.

The North, known as the Union,

was immensely known for its industrious culture and manufacturing abilities.

Because they had more abundant natural resources, northern goods production flourished and produced a massive economic upswing. Although, some businesses relied on agriculture, the majority of the North was spotted with large cities, factories, and urban areas. It was difficult to manage farms in the north because of the short growing season and colder temperatures. In fact, the percentage of laborers working in agriculture dropped drastically from 70% to 40% between 1800 and 1860. The water-powered factories, however, thrived. Slave labor had died out in the North and was replaced by the overwhelming majority of immigrants from Europe looking for jobs in the factories of the North. As stated by Civilwar.org, “...seven out of every eight [immigrants]...” (“Overview: North and South”) settled in northern states instead of the South. Because of the influx in population, northern cities often became crowded and dirty, nonetheless, the cities continued to develop as trading centers. In addition to factories, the cities hosted many churches and schools. Actually, Northern children were moderately more prone to attend

school than Southern children and they were more likely to acquire jobs in business, medicine, and education because only wealthy children were able to go to school in the South. College, on the other hand, was reserved for only the wealthy in the North. Also, the northern voters often gravitated towards the Whig or Republican party, whereas, the South was considered very Democratic. Another feature of the North was its canals and the abundance of railroad tracks, making easy transportation. Indeed, northern states “boasted… two-thirds of the railroad tracks” (“Overview: North and South”) in the country, according to Civilwar.org. The railroad tracks actually gave the North an advantage, later, during the Civil War.
Where the northern states were advantageous over the south with manufacturing, the southern states, or the Confederacy, were superior in agriculture.

80% of all labor force in the South worked on farms. Southern men not working in agriculture had careers in the military. The long, warm southern summers with significant amounts of rainfall created perfect conditions for large plantations and small farmsteads. Plantation estates were owned by the wealthy upper-class, whereas, the farms were owned by the middle and lower classes. Plantations were self-sufficient and cultivated most of the cash crops including cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar cane, and indigo. As a matter of fact, as said by John Green in Crash Course U.S. History, “...three-quarters [of the world’s cotton] came from the American south…” (CrashCourse, 00:01:08-00:01:11). The success of the South’s economy was predominantly due to the large population of Africans, however, of the four-million blacks in the South, not all were slaves, but the crops grown in the south were almost always sown, worked, and harvested by captured Africans. Although, two-thirds of the white population of the South did not own slaves, many rented and borrowed them like property, to work their land. Most white southerners argued that slavery was essential to the South’s economy and some insisted it benefited the slaves. By 1860, the southern states’ “‘peculiar institution’...[became] inextricably tied” (“Overview: North and South”) within

the region’s culture and economy. Unlike the North, the southern community was spread out over the sixteen states and rarely populated large cities because plantations served themselves. Only one in ten of all people in the South lived in urban areas. Cities that did exist, like New Orleans, served as shipping ports and were located along rivers and the coast. Agricultural produce from the American south were often sent to the North and Europe in exchange for their available products. The sparsity of the South created transportation difficulties. 35% of the train tracks in the country were present in the South, but this method of travel was avoided. Instead, people walked, rode horses, or utilized river transportation, such as steamboats. This lead to some obstacles during the Civil War.
The North and the South may seem disparate, however, they had a number of similarities. The most indisputable being their forms of government. Both the North and the South continued to manage a Constitutional Republic with three branches- the Legislative, Executive, and the Judicial branch. They operated under their own constitution and issued generally the same laws, with the exception of the Union outlawing slavery and the Confederacy exploiting it. Their social classes were also similar. A small upper class had a superiority over a large middle class and an even greater lower class. Also, both regions relied on each other. The North depended on produce for food and materials like cotton from the South to create textiles and other products, and the South depended on the North for finance of their land and insurance for their slaves. Even their military systems were equivalent. Strategies, tactics, the weaponry, their training, rank structure, and command were nearly the same. Additionally, when it came to the Civil War, both the North and the South had mostly volunteer armies. Even sports and music can be considered. The two were greatly important to soldiers, especially. According to Dennis Ova, “Baseball...was played...in both regions,” (Ova, “Similarities Between the North & South During the Civil War”) and similar music and games were played in military camps and prisons. Finally, it is unmistakable that both the Union and the Confederacy had a greater white population.
The distinguished differences of the North and South lead to growing tension throughout the beginning of the 1800s and eventually broke out into the American Civil War. Although, it can be testified that the eventual peace between the two was due, in part, to their similarities. Even today the North and South have a prominent contrast, but they are, no doubt, unified under one flag and one constitution as the United States of America.