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Impact of abolitionist movement on development of sectionalism and rising tensions

Tension also arose as a result of the growing abolitionist movement. The goal of the Abolitionist Movement was to outlaw slavery throughout the United States. Although abolitionism grew in the North, it was effective in South Carolina only in making slave owners more determined to hold onto their ‘peculiar institution.’ Abolitionists were active in South Carolina prior to the uncovering of the Denmark Vesey plot.

Influence of key abolitionists, including the Grimke sisters and William L. Garrison

However, after the plot was uncovered, abolitionists such as Sarah and Angelina Grimke were forced to either leave the state or keep silent. It is important for students to understand that the abolitionist movement was not popular among most northerners. The abolitionist movement grew with the publication of antislavery newspapers such as The Liberator by William A Garrison. Postmasters across South Carolina removed from the mails what they considered inflammatory materials including anti-slavery newspapers.

However they could not keep abolitionists from reaching a larger and larger Northern audience. Southerners responded to abolitionists’ criticism by claiming that slavery was a ‘positive good,’ because slaves were cared for throughout their lives, unlike northern laborers that they termed ‘wage slaves.’ Abolitionists manned the Underground Railroad with limited impact in South Carolina since the state was too far from the border with “free states” to make this escape route effective. Abolitionists played a role in all of the incidents that furthered tension between the North and the South

Impact of industrial growth on Northern population and representation in Congress

Sectionalism was furthered by changes in the Northern economy and politics. The development of industry in the North attracted European immigrants to jobs there. The resulting growth of population allowed the Northern states to have a larger representation in the House of Representatives. Another political party that supported a strong national government, called the Whigs, emerged to compete with Democrats, many of whom were southerners, for control of the presidency and Congress. Concern over the North’s greater voice in Congress led the South to compete rigorously for the admission of new states as slave states in order to maintain the balance of slave and free states in the Senate.

Role of Westward expansion in furthering sectional tensions

Westward expansion led to growing sectionalism and controversy over the expansion of slavery to the territories. The first indicator of national trouble between the north and south came when Missouri applied for statehood. Northern states were concerned about Missouri joining the Union as a slave state because it was the first state admitted from the Louisiana Purchase (thereby setting a precedent) and it would upset the equal balance of slave and free states’ votes that was balanced in the Senate.

Impact of the Missouri Compromise

A compromise was reached that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. The Missouri Compromise tried to avoid future controversy by prohibiting slavery in the Louisiana Territory north of the 36 30’ latitude line. However, southerners learned from this crisis the importance of maintaining the balance of Senate votes from slave and free states.

Causes and lasting consequences of the nullification crisis

The nullification [interposition] crisis was the result of the different impact that protective tariffs had on the North and the South. A protective tariff is designed to raise import taxes on goods coming from foreign countries in order to make them more expensive than goods produced in the United States. This would benefit the emerging industries in the North. However, since South Carolina was largely agricultural, a protective tariff would raise the price of the manufactured goods that South Carolinian's would buy from the industrial north or from Great Britain. Therefore southerners objected to raising the protective tariff.

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