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Essay / Causes of the divide between North and South
It was only a matter of time before the inevitable conflict between North and South arose. The North and South were complete opposites in their economic systems, political views, social positions, and geographic regions. The conflict over slavery became the primary conflict debated throughout the country. Northerners formed the Republican Party and Southerners formed the Democratic Party. The two sides attempted to adopt different social positions, based on the many conflicts preceding the civil war. Although there were other important causes, ultimately it was divergent views on political and social events and beliefs that were the primary causes of the Civil War. Contrasting views on states' rights and the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act led to greater political tensions between the North and the North. the South. Many arguments have been made that certain laws favored one region over another. These arguments led to the doctrine of states' rights, which held that state power should be greater than federal power since the states had formed the national government. Robert Young Hayne, a proponent of states' rights, said: "If the federal government alone can determine the limits of its own authority and the states are obliged to comply with those decisions...then we are practically a government with powers unlimited. powers” (Hayne, “Speech before the United States Senate on Mr. Foote’s Resolution”). Southerners favored stronger states' rights, while Northerners wanted federal power rather than state power. This political difference further divided the North and South, strengthening the forming sides of the civil war. Through this belief of state power over federal power, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed, which favored the South over the middle of paper. Slaves were property rather than people and could now propagate. slavery across the United States. The outcome of this affair helped widen the schism that was forming between the North and the South. Therefore, the social factors that divided the North and South helped cause the civil war. Although geographic and economic conflicts were considered important, it was mainly political and social differences that gave rise to the civil war. Unable to agree on the extent of rights a state deserved, the North and South drifted apart. This division grew as the Fugitive Slave Act was passed and the final verdict in the Dred Scott case was announced. Abolitionist attempts to end slavery continued to divide camps. Overall, the Civil War began as political and social discord but grew into a full-scale battle deciding the fate of our nation..