The North and South in the nineteenth century were different in lifestyle and economy. The north had a booming industrial economy while in the South, cotton was king. Due to this, congress was continuously addressing controversial matters and providing answers that did not satisfy either one side or both. The early 1800s were full of the North and the South making many attempts at reuniting that just fell short. Americans sought to resolve their political disputes through compromise in the early nineteenth century, yet by 1860 this no longer seemed possible because of the many differences between the North and South.
nThere were different factors that prevented the growth and compromise of states. In particular, compromise was made impossible by 1860 due to disagreement over states' rights and dispute over the morals of slavery. Senator Henry Clay presented a speech to the Senate on February 12, 1833 and stated, "I say that it is impossible that South Carolina ever desired for a moment to become a separate and independent state." Henry Clay's point of view shows that it is "impracticable" for South Carolina to nullify a federal law successfully and that South Carolina does not intend to secede from the Union. However, his statements can be proven wrong when South Carolina nullified a tariff in November of 1832. In Senator Daniel Webster's speech to the senate in 1850, he speaks as an "American" (nationalist) and not as a sectional representative. He admits that the North has not complied with the Fugitive Slave Law, when they should. Senator Webster states, "Secession! Peaceable secession! Sir, your eyes and mine are never destined to see that miracle" Webster strongly opposed secession and deemed it as "a moral impossibility." He recognized the severity of such a clash and the impossibility to have a peaceful secession. These disagreements over states' rights made it impossible to compromise in the nation by 1860.