In 1861, the United States faced a civil war which was one of the costliest in history. Hundreds of thousands of Americans lost their lives. Decades before the war, the North and South developed in different directions and several events took place that led to a bloody war within the nation. It finds its origins in deep divisions within the economy, society and politics. The central issue was slavery, as French politician Alexis de Tocqueville observed: "...almost all the differences that can be noticed between the character of the Americans in the Southern and Northern States have their origin in slavery” (Rourk et al, 2009, p. 437). Politicians attempted to reconcile the differences between the North and South through several compromises, but they failed to prevent a new conflict that would lead to war. Civil war was therefore inevitable. Shortly after the American Revolution, the North and the South developed different economies. The North experienced a transition from the production of hand-made goods to mechanical production. This included the evolution of factories where work was carried out on a large scale in a single centralized location (Economic Growth and the Early Industrial Revolution, n.d.). Not only did manufacturing become mechanized, but so did agriculture. With the invention of mechanical mowers and the steel plow, farming became less physically demanding and the productivity of farmers increased significantly (Rourk et al, 2009, p. 397). The Industrial Revolution spurred economic growth and improved living standards in the North. Many immigrants, primarily from Germany and Ireland, were drawn to the Northern states, seeking an opportunity to improve their lives. Furthermore, the industrialized economy was based on a paper-free environment......ynet.com. Retrieved December 12, 2013 from http://www.historynet.com/causes-of-the-civil-war Cotton and African-American Life. (nd). ushistory.org. Retrieved December 12, 2013 from http://www.ushistory.org/us/22b.asp Economic growth and the start of the industrial revolution. (nd). ushistory.org. Accessed December 12, 2013 from http://www.ushistory.org/us/22a.asp Roark, JL, Johnson, MP, Cohen, PC, Stage, S., Lawson, A., Hartmann, SM (2009). The American Promise: A History of the United States to 1877. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's: print. The Kansas-Nebraska Act. (nd). ushistory.org. Retrieved December 12, 2013, from http://www.ushistory.org/us/31a.asp Events Precipitating the Civil War. (nd). Civil War Trust. Retrieved December 12, 2013 from http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-overview/triggerevents.html