North South
Geography: The North had four distinct seasons. The soil varied slightly from the New England area to Pennsylvania to Iowa. There were areas with very large forests, and fast-moving rivers.
Economy: The economy of the North was mainly based on manufacturing and business. Many factories operated off of steam and unskilled laborers, many of which were immigrants from Germany and Ireland. Farming was also a large part of the economy in the North, but not as large as the South. Transportation: Transportation systems were very developed in the North because of the largely populated cities and manufacturing there. There were many forms of transportation including canals, steamboats, roads, and railroads. The canals and steamboats were needed to transport the large amount of manufactured goods, and were easy to create due to the large amount of rivers. Society: The society in the North was very diverse due to the large urban centers and many job opportunities which attracted immigrants from all corners of the world. Many free blacks also roamed the North because by 1830 slavery had been abolished. Many different people came to the North for a variety of reasons, meaning that the North would have a larger population. Most factory systems in the North relied on free labor because it was free and available to all. Since free blacks still had many legal restraints, they were often forced to remain in poverty - separated from white civilization. |
Geography: The South had very mild winters and hot, humid summers. The soil was mostly rich and fertile throughout the region.
Economy: The South mostly focused on agriculture and cash crops. While the main cash crop was cotton, others included indigo, rice, and tobacco. These crops were usually grown on plantations. In these large farms, because of the large amount of labor required, they would mostly focus on slave labor, otherwise known as the plantation system. Transportation: In the South, transportation systems were not as developed as the North. There were no canals, small railroads, few roads, and they mainly relied on water transportation to transport goods. They had a smaller amount of rivers than the north, but large rivers like the Mississippi were easily navigated by steamboats. Society: Society in the South was very different from the North, and was far less diverse. The South had very few urban centers, and was mainly filled with small scale farmers with little to no slaves and plantation owners with vast amounts of land and many slaves. Even though plantation owners were a small part of the southern society, they held most of the economic, political, and social power. Slaves on these vast plantations had virtually no rights and were closely watched and very limited as to what they could do on their own. Very few slaves were actually free in the South, but they had even less freedoms then the free slaves in the North. |
Due to these differences, both regions had their own form of sectionalism (Loyalty to a specific section of a country, rather than the nation as a whole). They both had their own beliefs and differences, and were very unique.