North Vs. South

North vs. South

I believe that the most important factor that separated the North and the South was geography. Because of their placement closer to the equator the South had a much milder climate and less variation in the seasons, pushing them towards a more agricultural economic system. Its because of the geography that almost every other issue of separation arose; warmer climate creates a longer growing season which fuels agriculture as a source of income, agriculture requires a lot of manual labor which is provided by slaves. Compared to the South, the North had very little use of slavery. The new and improved factory system allowed for mass production of goods, and while it did take away from small business, it provided jobs for men women and children all throughout the territory. The North's placement around the great lakes, large rivers like the Mississippi and the East Coast allowed for much faster, cheaper, and easier transportation of goods. Once again, it all sums down to geographical placement. Obviously there are numerous important issues separating the North from the South, and many may think that would be slavery. However, I feel that the issue of slavery would clearly not have arisen of there we're no work for them to do. That being said, because cash crops required such a heavy amount of manual labor, plantation owners in the south save money and energy by purchasing and employing someone else to do that work for them. Now, the North and the South are, however, extremely reliant on each other; the North with its industrialized economy needs resources to produce its products, resources that the South readily provides. This element of codependency fuels both economies, but once again, geography is what caused it. The placement of the two regions allows for the give and take, the flow, of resources to and from, and the constant exportation. Placing both parties reliant on each other, though they are at odds, creates a successful system of mercantilism and self-sufficiency. The difference between the North and South were obviously great, as the led to a Civil War, but mostly they arose not because the system of production but because of the protest to the inhumanity of slave-hood and the way the economy had become so impersonalized. Differences aside, both parties were equally efficient and clearly created a good foundation for the U.S. to build the current economic system, even though there seems to be a misstep somewhere along the way.