ID: Sectionalism
When: 1780s - 1860s
Who:
- North: Industrialists, abolitionists, farmers in the Northeast and Midwest
- South: Plantation owners, slaveholders, farmers in the South
- West: Farmers, miners, and settlers moving westward
- Key figures: Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, Daniel Webster
What:
A deep-seated division in the United States based on geographic, economic, social, and political differences between the North, South, and West. These differences often led to conflict over issues like slavery, tariffs, and states’ rights.
Key features of Sectionalism:
- Economic differences: Industrial North vs. Agricultural South
- Social differences: Abolitionism in the North vs. Slaveholding in the South
- Political differences: Federalist vs. Democratic-Republican parties
- Territorial expansion: Debate over slavery in new territories
Impact: Why Significant?:
- Increased tension and conflict: sectionalism fueled debates over slavery, westward expansion, and the role of the federal government, ultimately leading to the Civil War.
- Compromises and political maneuvering: To maintain unity, political leaders attempted to forge compromises, such as the Missouri Compromise (1820) and the Compromise of 1850. However, these often proved temporary and only deepened the divisions.
- Rise of sectional political parties: The rise of the Whig and Democratic parties reflected the growing divide between the North and South.
- Formation of the Confederate States of America: sectionalism ultimately led to the secession of Southern states in 1860-1861 and the formation of the Confederacy.
Examples of Sectional Conflicts:
- Nullification Crisis (1832-1833): South Carolina’s attempt to nullify the federal tariff.
- Mexican-American War (1846-1848): Debate over the expansion of slavery into new territories.
- Compromise of 1850: A temporary solution to the issue of slavery in the territories, but further fueled tensions.
- Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854): Allowed for Popular Sovereignty to decide on the issue of slavery in the territories, leading to violence and bloodshed in Kansas.
- Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857): Supreme Court decision that ruled that slaves were not citizens and had no rights, further dividing the nation.