Economic Differences Divide the Nation
Examine the economic difference that divided the U.S. in the 19th century.
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About
About
Because of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Africans were enslaved in the Southern United States and viewed as property, not as people. They were forced to work, driving the South's economy through their labor. In the North, industry drove the economy. These interests led to vastly different ways of living and an increased tension that would ultimately split the country in half.
Essential Questions
Essential Questions
Why did southern and northern economies differ so greatly?
How did these differences lead to disagreements about the treatment of enslaved people and the use of their labor?
How did the different interests of these regions lead to ever-increasing tension?
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Farming Defines the South
Farming Defines the South
Although many small farmers in the South did not use slave labor, large plantations dominated the Southern agricultural landscape. These plantations needed forced labor - slaves - to be profitable.
Essential questions:
Why was farming so profitable in the South?
In what ways did an agricultural economy shape life in the South?
What role did enslaved people play in the success of Southern agriculture?
Suggested Activity: Picture It!
Manufacturing Increases in the North
Manufacturing Increases in the North
In the early 1800s, northern states made use of fast-moving rivers to power machines in mills and factories. Eventually, industrialization led many people to leave the countryside and move to cities to find work. As cities grew in the North, the number of factories increased - but so did poverty and disease.
Essential questions:
Why did Northern states rely heavily on manufacturing?
How did the growth of cities create challenges in the North?
In what ways did the North’s reliance on industry create conflict with Southern states?
Suggested Activity: Image Analysis
Suggested Images: Subtopic Image Collection
Curricular Connections
Curricular Connections
Continue your learning by choosing one of these related activities.
Continue your learning by choosing one of these related activities.
Related Social Studies Topics
Timeline Challenge
Start a class timeline (or add to an existing timeline) showing important events that explain economic differences during America's Industrial Revolution.
Debate
Statement: The value provided by factories far outweighed the harm they caused.
Socratic Discussion
Read this collection of four poems about the Featherly House in Sodus Point and discuss the most important lesson to be learned from them.
Create
(Not sure what to do? Create an infographic to show the growth of plantation and manufacturing!)
Just for Fun
Image Attributions
Economic Differences Divide the Nation banner: University of Notre Dame, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsFarming in the South: Cheney, C. Emma (Clara Emma), No restrictions, via Wikimedia CommonsManufacturing in the North: Related names: W. C. Bradley Company; William R. Brown and Company; Bradley, W C; Brown, William R; Golden, George J; Stratton, H D; Teague, A J; Warner, James H; Wilson, James; Boucher, Jack E; Sharpe, David; Lowe, Jet; Lupold, John S; Karfunkle, J B; Kimmelman, Barbara, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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