Examples Of Sectionalism In The United States

During the early nineteenth century the United States began to split, but at the middle of the century people views started to become more concrete and so separation in the Union became more drastic. From 1850 to 1861 it was apparent that the union was separating into the North and the South. The Constitution played a major role in the separation that was occurring. Through sectional favoritism of bits and pieces of the Constitution and through ideas that were left out of it, the Constitution led to sectional discord and nearly the failure of the union.

Nationalism, a political or social philosophy in which the prosperity of a nation-state as an existence is considered supreme or more important than anything else. The primary duty and loyalty should be toward the nation-state. The love for one's country often reflected dominance and power as people were able to unite toward common good. Furthermore, republic governments were reestablished a result of Nationalism.

The Missouri Compromise was a temporary solution to the issue of slavery and territorial rights such as the movement West. Two areas of land wanted to become states in 1820, known as Maine and Missouri. Maine wanted to enter as a free state with no slavery as everyone in that area was against it and wanted it abolished. Missouri wanted to enter as a slave state and was all for slavery and wanted it to be spread all throughout the country. The compromise everyone came into conclusion with, was that there would be no slavery allowed north of 36° 30’ latitude. This angered the Southerners because their intention was to promote slavery not have it abolished. They realized that this compromise threatened the balance between free and slave states; Maine and Missouri. In order to expand slavery, the South felt that the United States would need territory from Mexico. The only area of land left was in Arkansas and that line became known as the Missouri Compromise line. The impact that the Missouri Compromise had on the United States was tremendous and had many effects on issues such as national politics, the institution of slavery, and the overall togetherness of the nation as a whole.

The conflict between the ideas of nationalism and sectionalism came in part from the practice of slavery. In the Missouri Compromise is a key example of this the Missouri compromise Set boundaries

While some historians have dubbed the period after the War of 1812, an “Era of Good Feelings”, the continuous increase of events such as the Missouri Compromise, strengthened the sectionalism in the country and led to a contradiction in the title given to that time period. Politically, America grew more divided as more parties arose, separating the people by their different opinions on how the government should be run and ultimately, who should become our next president. Economically, there was tension between agriculturalists who continued to sink deeper and deeper in poverty as manufacturers continued to grow affluent, due to economic laws passed by the government which favored their growth. Therefore, while the period was labeled an “Era

Document C written by Hilton Helper, a well known political writer from North Carolina, explains why southerners want to move westward, which is to expand and advance and prove that they’re not dependent of the north. Due to the different beliefs of the north and the south, each party felt as if the other would take over, especially the north. The northerners feared the southerners would push its peculiar institution on the entire union. Soon territories wanted to become states starting with Missouri. Once Missouri made this big step, it threatened the balance of the Slave and Free states. So to control the situation the constitution created the Missouri Compromise, which let Missouri enter the union as a slave state with the addition of Maine as a free state. This only created the periodicity use of compromise, which only kept sweeping the situation under the rug. Once this was over the United States went into war with Mexico due to a dispute over Texas and its western territories. There would’ve been a law passed for the dispute, but there were some unfair ideas involved so they threw it away, yet only to return it for revision when California wanted to join statehood. The revision was soon named the Compromise of 1850 and it reshaped the Fugitive Slave Act requiring northerners to capture slaves, and this caused uproar. The conflict simmered up once again when two huge territories were up for consideration, Nebraska and Kansas. Southerners were against it due to the Missouri compromise, which would have the states enter as Free States. The constitution tried to balance the situation by creating the Kansas-Nebraska Act; however it repealed the Missouri Compromise. In document J’s note it explained how the Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise and how those who were moving there would have to vote. Tension between the Sympathizers and the abolitionist were created when

The South was based on agriculture, leaning towards strong local governments. The North was heavily influenced by Henry Clay’s American System, accompanied with large scale industrialization and cities. The most distinctive political difference between the northern and southern states was their view on slavery. The southern states found slaves a necessity in order to have a labour force to operated the cotton gins in the plantations; however, the northern states opposed the use of slaves due to their morales. This sectionalism caused a division among American citizens, affecting the government’s ability to unite the two political ideologies. To attempt to satisfy the demands of both the North and South, the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was created to resolve issues of slavery in newer western states. This compromise brought upon the 36-30 Parallel Line, a geographical line that split the North and South, depicting the contrasting political and societal views and increasing sectionalism (F). This power struggle between states and the federal government only caused unrest, resulting in no further beneficial reforms or rulings, causing the Era of Good Feelings to not hold true to its name.

The Missouri Compromise, one of the most known agreements in American history, was an attempt presented by Henry Clay in calming sectional division between the Northern and Southern states over the issue of slavery. While the Missouri Compromise found a temporary solution in regards to representation resulting in twelve free states and twelve slave states(G), it also, however, ignited the strong feelings, opinions, and justifications of two opposing sides and "heralded" the future unsuccess of the Union. No longer could our forefathers postpone such an imminent issue as was done during the infancy of the United States government. The Missouri Compromise was a success in a sense, not merely

3. Nationalism was the love and unity of the entire nation. Sectionalism was the placing of the needs of one section of the nation over the needs of the entire nation. Slavery, Representation, Tariffs and States Rights were

There were many problems, events, and situations that led to the Civil War. One of the major reasons for the outbreak of the war was sectionalism. Once the United States was split, many of the country's fundamental issues were disputed, with slavery being at the top of the list. Some of the other major issues in dispute were representation, tariffs, and states' rights. Sectionalism is defined as, the sharp socio-economic differences that divided the Northern and the Southern states in the U.S.

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 balanced the ratio of free and slave states when the balance was threatened when the Missouri Territory wanted to become a state. The Compromise resulted in Missouri joining as a slave state and Maine - breaking off of Massachusetts - joining as a free state (Document 2A). As a result, a line of compromise was put in place: anything above the chosen line became free territories - with the exception of Missouri - and anything below the chosen line became slave territories (Document 2A). This Compromise divided the nation physically into the free parts of the Union and the slave parts of the Union (Document 2A). However, this line of compromise also divided the nation politically. According to Robert Kagan, the nation was split between “both national parties, the society of slaveholders [and] the society of free labor” (Document 2B). Those in the South favored candidates and laws that supported slavery while those in the North favored candidates and laws that did not support or restricted slavery. Consequently, the government officials had to be divided regarding whether they support slavery or not. Also, the number of officials proslavery and anti-slavery had to be equal in order to please both the North and the South. In turn, in times of political debate regarding slavery, there was a clear division between the opposing of the debate. The

The Northern and Southern states began to feel divided because of their regional differences. The main reason for their regional differences was of slavery. When Missouri requested for statehood in 1820 as a slave state, it caused trouble between the north and south because it would it tip the balance of the senate in the South’s favor because there was eleven free states and eleven slave states in the senate. As a compromise, Henry Clay proposed that Missouri enter as a slave state, Maine enters as a free state, and prohibit slavery in the Louisiana Territory above the 36˚30’. The Missouri Compromise greatly increased sectionalism in the South. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams supported the compromise, but he expressed that it only fixed the issue temporarily because slavery isn’t a resolvable issue unless the whole union is free of slavery. Adams implies to himself in his diary that he knows in the future that slavery would further separate the north and south but for now it maintained peace in the union (Document 5). Document 6 agrees with Document 5 because Thomas Jefferson says that increased compromise and putting off the issue of slavery will only increase sectionalism because it will lead to deeper hatred between the North and South. But the document shows bias as well because Jefferson is a slave owner himself and knows slavery is wrong but he

The events that led to the time where compromise no longer seemed possible, starting the American Civil War, involved intense augmentation of sectionalism, dispute of states’ over federal rights, and the dispute of slavery. The North and the South’s differentiation in

Sectionalism was a division of the Northern, the Southern, and the Western States during the early 1800’s. These states disagreed on many topics during this time. For example, the country was split over the idea of slavery. Abolitionists in the North made speeches about slavery, however, the North made a healthy profit from the system and textile manufacturing. In the South, the upper class depended on slavery to make money.

As the main source of national identity, nationalism “makes [people] feel connected not only to one another but also to the homeland itself” (Jusdanis 28). In the case of the American founding, when the delegates from respective states met to construct a more perfect union, they did not identify themselves as Virginians or New Yorkers. Instead, they defined themselves as “we the people of the United States” as it appears in the Preamble to the US constitution. The shared interest in liberty and freedom as well as the attachment to the land of their fathers made it possible for the vast population of the thirteen states to think of itself as a unified body despite their internal ethnic and cultural divide. By identifying themselves as a member of certain group, people will form a society with certain shared value, which ultimately can become the political units for a democratic government. Nationalism is essential for creating a cohesive political community.