North And South Comparison

North And South Comparison

In the years before the Civil War, tensions between the North and South were growing. The Southern states (Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, etc.) were slave states. The Northern states (Maine, Indiana, New Jersey, Vermont, etc.) were opposed to slavery. Not only were the political views of the North and South different, the climate/geography, economy, and population also shared differences.

If you lived in the North during the 1800’s, you would expect weather typical to that of Indiana. The winters are cold and and the summers are hot. There is a short growing season of around six or seven months. Even though the growing season does not last year-round, the North is full of natural resources. These resources include timber, iron, and a variety of crops. The geography in the North consists of vast forests, large plains, and coastline. This coastline is located across the Northeastern region. Most cities in the North developed along rivers, which allowed for easier trade routes. Lastly, many plains and fields are located in this region. Staple crops such as beans and corn are harvested in the fields after the growing season. On the other hand, the South was subject to long, hot summers with mild winters. The summers were also humid and rainy. The temperatures in the

South were higher than the North, which allowed for a longer growing season. In the South, good farmland was surrounded by mountains, subtropical forests, swamps, marshes, and other bodies of water.

The population in the North exceeded 22 million citizens, while the population in the South was approximately 9 million.

Irish, German, and European immigrants accounted for a large number of the North’s population. The population in the South included Americans, European immigrants, and slaves. Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia accounted for most of the Southern population. One third of this population being slaves. One fourth of all Southern farmers owned slaves. The main reason that the Northern population was larger is because there was more agriculture and industrial improvement. Citizens came to the North to find jobs and to make more money for their

families.

In the North, the economy was based around industrial items while the South was more focused on farming and crops. Instead of using animals and slaves like the South, the North was more based on using machines.The North produced machines that could spin thread using waterpower while mass production allowed for these things to all be created in large amounts. The North was also known for having carpenters, shoemakers, and those who made textiles and guns. The Lowell and Rhode Island systems provided these textile factories with human labor. The transportation revolution increased trade, which meant more goods needed to be produced at a quicker rate. The machine that created a revolution in the South was the Cotton Gin, which allowed for there to be less time processing cotton. Cotton, tobacco, rice, and indigo were the staple crops grown in the South. Farming and the trade a grown goods provided the South with most of its income. Tredegar Iron Works located in Richmond, Virginia was the biggest ironworks producer in the Confederacy, which also accounted for a lot of the South’s income.

The political differences shared by the North and South were not the only factors that determined the lifestyles of the citizens. While the North was more industrial, the South was more focused on farming plantations. On the other hand, the South is not the only region that grew crops. The Northern states also provided natural resources that were a necessity to the economy. Without the disputes that caused the Civil War, modern day America would be drastically different.