Growing Tensions Between the North and the South
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1850s America: A Precursor to the American Civil War
Lesson Plans by Richard Cleggett
The 1850s were a troubled period in American history, filled with internal strife. Geographic and political divides were widening, and attempts to resolve these differences in a peaceful manner seemed doomed to failure. The events of this decade set the stage for the terrible conflict of the American Civil War.
Storyboard Description
1850s America - Growing Tensions Between the North and the South - This storyboard compares and contrasts the daily lives of citizens of both the North and the South. Economies begin to take different shapes, sentiments towards slavery grows increasingly different and ideas of progress have different meanings between the two regions. By using a T-Chart, students will be able to outline these differences as well as the growing tensions between the Northern United States and Southern United States.
Storyboard Text
- ECONOMY
- NORTH
- ECONOMY
- SOUTH
- Northern economies were bustling. With a rise in industry, factory work, and technologies, the North experienced tremendous growth as the manufacturing hub of the United States. Manufactured goods and services were readily available in the North.
- LIFE
- The Southern economies were rural and mostly agricultural. Although industry did exist in the South, it was sparse and not nearly as productive as its Northern counterparts. However, cotton, farm goods, and a slave based economy powered the South to economic prosperity.
- LIFE
- Everyday life in the North revolved around its bustling industries. Although farmers still dominated the landscape, many began a great migration to factory work and production. Goods and services were easily obtainable, and cities grew continually larger.
- VIEWS ON SLAVERY
- Slavery is IMMORAL! Abolish it!
- Southern daily life revolved around their agricultural prowess. With an institutionalized slave-based economy, southerners relied heavily on slave work to produce their goods and incomes. This also helped develop a racist bias against blacks, and furthered a sense of racial superiority that shaped everyday life.
- VIEWS ON SLAVERY
- Slavery is vital to our economy!
- Northern views on slavery varied greatly. But among them was an ever-growing abolitionist movement that called for an outright end to slavery. By utilizing industry as a mean of production, many Northerners increasingly frowned upon the slave based economies of the South. These sentiments would soon play a pivotal role in the Civil War.
- REFORM MOVEMENTS
- Southern views on slavery mostly revolved around several ideas. Foremost, slaves were the driving force of their economy. Without them, the production of the South would be weakened. These sentiments were backed by ideas, sometimes religious, that slavery was actually good for Blacks, and that it was the rightful social hierarchy.
- REFORM MOVEMENTS
- Reject the ills of society! Repent!
- Slavery is but a necessary evil!
- Many reform movements took a strong hold in the Northern states throughout the mid and late 1800s. Among them, the temperance movement, which aimed at preventing alcoholism. Others included utopian movements, women's rights, and the abolitionist movement.
- The Southern United States also experienced and reacted to these reform movements. Many, however, turned to religion as a means of supporting slavery. Reform movements did not take nearly as strong a hold as it did in the North, as a more conservative mindset existed throughout the South.
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