Paper Topic:

What were the key causes of sectional differences between 1820 and 1860

Causes of Sectional differences between 1820 and 1860

The issue of slavery was a divisive one where the southerners wanted it to be strengthened and expanded to the new lands whereas the northerners were opposed to this idea . This brought a lot of tension between the two sides something which later came to cause a major conflict . Apart from the issue of slavery other factors also contributed to the sectional differences that ensued during this period . One of these factors was the Mexican war . Foner , E (2007 ) noted that although the war was

supported by the majority of Americans some especially the northerners viewed it as way of creating new lands so that the south can expand slavery Ulysses Grant one of the soldiers who served very well in the war later came to described it as one of the unjust wars ever waged by a stronger nation against a weaker nation (p468 .In his view America was just behaving like the monarchies in Europe rather than a model democratic state . Abraham Lincoln , another northerner was opposed to the war just like majority of the Whigs where he challenged the President to justify the cause of the war by showing the casualties inflicted by the Mexicans in our land as had been claimed by President Polk when he was waging the war

Foner Eric (2007 ) observes that with acquisition of Mexican lands a new conflict was in the calling something which would divide the nation for years to come . This...

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