During the early 1900's the north and the south were drifting apart because of the issue on
slavery. The south supported slavery while the north opposed it. This difference eventually led to
sectionalism and a separation between the north and the south.
The south had many reasons they thought that slavery was right. They said that in the
bible it says a man can own another man. They thought that slaves were treated better
than northern factory workers because factory owners did not care if a worker was hurt. If the
person could not work anymore than the owner would just fire them. If a slave got hurt then the
slave owner would take care of them.Southerners showed northerners that slavery wasn't
all that bad by painting pictures of slaves having parties and having a good time with nice clothes
on. the south also told the north that if slavery was abolished the southern economy
would fail.
Some northerners didn't want to abolish slavery because they felt if it was abolished
they would loose their jobs because the free blacks would take their jobs. Even some factory
owners didn't want slavery to be abolished because the price of raw materials like cotton would
go up. Southern slave holders said that the slaves wouldn't know how to take care of themselves
if they didn't have a master.
The north had many reasons they opposed slavery. The slaves were treated horribly.
They were whipped, sold, and worked hard. Slave families were often broken apart. The slaves
had bad clothing. Slaves could not own anything by law. They were treated like animals
or property. The law did not recognize slave marriages. The children of slaves were the masters
property. Slaves did not have an opportunity to improve their condition but a poor white
person could.Slaves were barely fed. They were fed just enough to keep them alive. The
northerners argued that in the Deceleration of Independence states all men are crated equal.
As one can see the north and the south had opposite viewpoints on the issue of slavery.
This issue made the north and the south start to argue. The arguing and fighting is what started
the Civil War.
