The South had fertile farmlands, perfect for growing cotton. It was picked by hand, then run through a cotton gin. Slavery grew as the cotton industry grew in the South, and the North benefited from it too, manufacturing clothing and other goods. Cotton made southerners rich and slavery was vital to their economy. But didn't it violate America's very own Constitution? The North believed that slavery needed to end, but it was too valuable to the South for that. And besides, everyone was profiting and benefiting from slavery, everyone besides the slaves. As America expanded, and new states joined the Union, the conflict grew.Territories in the North entered as free states, and territories in the South entered as slave states. The state's opposing views on slavery caused them to grow apart and divide, splitting the United States, North and South, causing secession and the Civil War. .
The North and South had opposing political views, and disagreed on the government's decisions on slavery. For example, the Nullification Crisis in 1828, which raised taxes to add to the growth of manufacturing, enraged the South while pleasing the North. Also, the Compromise of 1850 satisfied no one, although the nation's capital, Washington DC, would be a free state, which the North wanted, Utah and New Mexico would be slave states. The North thought his Compromise would be going against the Missouri Compromise of 1820. The South also thought it was unconstitutional, that the government could not ban slavery. One side was always going to disagree with the government's decision. When Lincoln ran against Stephen Douglas, the country was split in half. The South wanted nothing to do with Lincoln, where every state in the North was for Lincoln. Each side had their own political views, and when Lincoln won the election, the Southern states seceded. When Lincoln finally became president, war was inevitable. The North and South had opposing political views, and government decisions could not satisfy both sides.
