Preview

By the 1850's the Constitution became a source of sectional discord, ultimately contributing to the failure of the union. This tries to disprove this statement. *AP US DBQ from 1987

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1469 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
By the 1850's the Constitution became a source of sectional discord, ultimately contributing to the failure of the union. This tries to disprove this statement. *AP US DBQ from 1987
In the mid-1800's, many events occurred that increased sectional tension between the Northern and Southern states of the Union. These tensions ultimately resulted in the outbreak of civil war. One thing in particular that is considered to be a source of sectional discord is the U.S. Constitution. However the Constitution itself was not a source of sectional tension that caused the failure of the Union. The failure erupted generally from the issue of slavery. combination of the people in general and the differences in economic styles that lead to the downfall. Poor political decisions such as the Kansas Nebraska Act, lead to bad decisions which worsened the tensions of the union. The economic differences ultimately lead to the Civil War because it was the driving force that caused the differences between the North and The South.

The economics of the northern and southern United States in the mid 1800's were complete opposites of each other. The North was primarily industrialistic, relying on the manufacturing of goods, at the time generally cotton textiles, as it's economic driving force. This was due primarily to the fact that The North had poor growing conditions including infertile soil. The South on the other hand had a warm climate, and fertile soil. This resulted in agriculture and generally the growing of cotton to be the South's economic driving force. The farming economy of the South resulted in slavery being used as an efficient source of labor. The issue of slavery was the main and basic driving force of the sectional tensions that drove the Union apart. The Constitution had very little effect or influence on the development of the Nation's economy. Since slavery was introduced into the South because of it's economic style, logically the Constitution cannot be blamed as a cause of slavery or the sectional differences that resulted because of slavery. In fact the Panic of 1857 helped to reveal the differences in economies and helped further sectional

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The Constitution certainly contributed to the failure of the union it created. The document was originally formed with the intention of unifying the newly formed United States of America. Since then, the Constitution was effective in protecting the rights and ideals of the people. But by 1850, the Constitution had become a point of sectional disunity and had influenced a split both politically and ideologically between the North and the South. The writers of this document can in part be held responsible for the tension it caused. Although the Constitution was very effective in its early years, the writers had made the mistake of leaving several important issues open and unresolved, causing the eventual disunity over these issues. The Constitution ultimately contributed to the failure of the union because of the issues that were not resolved, and therefore caused controversy in the years leading up to the Civil War.…

    • 737 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The other main reasons are the control of the government, economy, states' rights, abolitionism, and the election of 1860. Although the focus revolved around slavery a lot of the tension that led to the war was from how the South felt it had no power when it came to making decisions. “As new states were added to the Union, a series of compromises were arrived at to maintain an equal number of “free” and “slave” states” (Hickman 1). However; as new states were added they were all being declared “free” states without the South having any say in the matter. Fearing they were losing power the South turned to the states' rights argument, stating that the federal government didn't have the right to change the laws of slavery in states whom already own slaves (Ayers). Things grew worse during the abolitionist movements which called for an end for slavery, whether it be immediate or gradual. This caused many disputes among the people which often led to biblical disputes (Hickman1). Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin should the cruelty of the Fugitive Slave Act and gave support to the abolitionist movement. The election of 1860 was the final straw. With the election of Abraham Lincoln as president, they feared all was about to change. “The North with its growing population and increased electoral power had achieved what the South had always feared: complete control of the government by the free states”(Hickman 2). After the election the South immediately began to discuss seceding from the Union. The secession of the South was the ultimate leading factor for the North to go to war, in order to keep the country united…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dbq 1850's

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Constitution can be interpreted in many different ways, which leads to sectional discord and tension. For many reasons, the South evidently did not…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Compromise Of 1850 DBQ

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages

    By the 1850’s the Constitution, originally viewed as a document for national unity, had become a source of regional disagreements and tension that eventually resulted in the failure of the Union. The Constitution never outright mentions slavery, and created an unsolved problem that later resulted in compromises and the failure of the Union it formed.…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Slavery was a major cause of sectional crisis in nineteenth century America. Northern representatives detested the slave trade and wanted it to end immediately, while Southerners avoided using the word "slavery" and argued for it. When Northern delegates pushed too hard for reform, Southern delegates, especially those in South Carolina, threatened to leave the convention. This would destroy any hope of establishing a strong central government.…

    • 254 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is said that the roots of the Civil War, which was fought, no matter the other theories, over the big problem of slavery, were implanted in the compromises of the Constitution on the controversy. That is likely to be true. Slavery, which began in cruelty and disorder in the kidnapping, shipping, and exchange of human capital, unfortunately required violence to eventually put a stop to it. After the travesty of the Revolutionary War and the strife in the U.S. because of the Articles, a moment of reconciliation and reconstruction was necessary to make the nation strong enough to a place where it could endure a civil war. The biggest misfortune is that in the almost 100 years from the start of the Revolutionary War and the ending of the Civil…

    • 146 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Constitution’s inadequacy in dealing with the issue of slavery ultimately led “the failure of the union that it had created” as it revealed the contrasting American ideals that were held by the North and the South. The Constitution did not provide a clear solution to slavery and left it up to the following generations to decide whether the institution was constitutional. Furthermore, it failed to address the issue of sovereignty and whether the states held power over the Union or vice versa. Thus, the Constitution aided to the fall of the union that it was attempting to uphold.…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Constitution was a major factor to the start of the Civil War and sectional discord. Some people stated that some people stated that the Constitution did, in fact, acknowledge slavery and that slave states should have a choice in whether to bring slavery into new territory. However, others suggested that slavery had the potential to destroy the “equilibrium” that could have protected the Constitution. This created the belief that the two regions (the North and the South) could coexist. These ideas led to the belief that it would be constitutional for the South to secede. (Documents B, D, and E)…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Constitution Dbq

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Constitution was originally thought of as an instrument of national unity, but by the 1850s, that thought was debatable. The document was interpreted differently in the North than in the South, which naturally created tensions. The North and the South’s argument was whether or not slavery was constitutional. The Constitution did not say anything upfront about slavery, which caused problems and confusion. However, the Constitution was not a source of sectional discord, and it did not contribute to failure of the union it had created.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There were many causes for the separation of the union. Many people argue that the Constitution, which was a symbol of the national unity, contributed to its division. This is true in some ways, but it did not happen immediately. Many events, such as the passing of the Fugitive Slave and Kentucky-Nebraska Acts, gradually built up the tension between North and South, until the union collapsed. Even though the Compromise of 1850 was meant to solve the crisis, it only created more tension between the north and south.…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the 1800's, slavery was a huge influence throughout North America. Around 1840, the United States was already producing most of the world's cotton. This resulted a great profit for the whole country. It also had a negative effect, for the states were divided into two. For a long time, there was tension between the North and the South caused by each of their views on slavery.…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Civil War Problems

    • 1545 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The problems that eventually caused the Civil War had been brewing since the formation of the United States. It became a perfect storm; everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. One issue in particular, slavery, had been contentious since the signing of the United States Constitution in 1787. Slavery was an issue of economy and political influence at the time but became integral to the southern economy in 1794 with the invention of the cotton gin. The cotton gin dramatically decreased the cost of cotton production and thus dramatically increased the demand for the free labor provided by slaves. Because the profit margins were so high, southern planters focused more of their resources on the production of cotton making slavery more…

    • 1545 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the mid 1800's, the outbreak of the American Civil War began and pushed our country to it's maximum tension. Tensions arrose between the northern states and the southern states. Different decisions and actions before the war could have prevented such a controversial relationship between the states in the United States. Slavery, sectionalism, states' rights, and secession contributed in the start and end of the Civil War. Significant people demonstrated their thoughts on different situations.…

    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The United States was divided on slavery and the Norther States abolished slavery while the southern states embraced it. The northern states above the Missouri Compromise of 1820 did not allow slavery. The United States economy played an important role in slavery were it either strengthened or weakened it. The northern states did not have a strong agricultural business due to the type of hard and rocky soil that proved…

    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Civil War Essay

    • 390 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Civil War was the most divisive war in American history. In the early 1800s, the United States experienced a growth of nationalism and unity, but it was replaced by sectionalism, leading to the Civil War. There were many reasons why the South wanted to secede, reasons the North wanted to maintain the Union, and the controversy surrounding slavery and steps taken to abolish it.…

    • 390 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays