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History

Sectionalism
Most Americans, when they think of the reasons for the Civil war, will correctly name slavery as a major issue dividing the north from the South. However, what may not be known is the influence of a number of issues of the time such as territorial expansion and the political definitions meant to be embedded within the Constitution. This 5 page paper explores the issues of sectionalism before and after the Civil War. Bibliography lists 4 sources.


¡°All men are created equal,¡± but were they treated equally during the pre-civil war period? Since the beginning of the colonization of America, blacks were considered properties and were never given any rights white men had. Even the Founding Fathers decided not to touch the slavery issue, wishing that it will die out eventually. However, after the Constitution officially legalized slavery, this issue became more complex. As a result of the problems of slavery, there was a growing sectionalism between the North (free states) and the South (slave states).

The first example of sectionalism caused by the slavery issue is the Missouri Compromise of 1820. It divided the land acquired in the Louisiana Purchase along the 36 30 line. All territories north of this line forbid slavery except for Missouri. To balance this out, Maine was admitted as a free state. This compromise was an example of a strict sectionalism caused because of the balancing of the numbers of free and slave states.

The Compromise of 1850 also arose sectionalism by stating that California would be admitted as a free state. Of course the Southerners weren¡¯t happy with this so Henry Clay proposed several resolutions. All the other territories acquired from Mexico would not have any restrictions on slavery and slavery in the Districts of Colombia was prohibited with the consent of the residents. The resolution also stated that the Congress had no power to interfere with the interstate slave trade. Most importantly, a...