The most obvious reason for the division of the Union was slavery. From an ideological perspective, slavery was not consistent with the core ideology of republicanism, which valued unalienable rights and liberty. The Union wanted to gradually abolish slavery (for many reasons) through method of non-extension, which aimed to end slavery by containing it. Contrary to common belief, the abolitionist movement in the North was not pro-African American or particularly morally driven. Despite slavery being absolved in the North by 804, anti-black sentiment and racism (not only against African Americans, but also immigrants) was still rampant. The Civil War did not start out as a war over slavery, instead it was a war that aimed at preserving the Union. The North essentially used slavery as a justification for war. This is evident in the Norths sudden shift from their pro-slavery ideals to their sudden abolitionist ideologies. When The Liberator, by William Lloyd Garrison was published in 83, he represented a new voice that was insistent on ending slavery and advocating for enfranchisement. At this point, he was a minority, being so moralistic and immediate in his approach to abolishing slavery. He was disliked by most Northerners and ended up being run out of town. However, he did alter the dialogue of slavery in the North and invoked a new sense of thinking regarding slavery and the values of the practice. Still, at this time, many Northerners were pro-slavery, however, by 852 when Uncle Toms Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was published, Northerners responded favorably to her message, with it becoming a best seller. Within the span of twenty years, the North had gone from being accepting of slaver
y to openly opposing it (Findlay).
While all colonies, North and South, at some point were complicit in the slave trade, Southern colonies, with their warmer climates and fertile land, tended to be more dependent on slave labor as their economies were driven by agriculture, specifically the cotton and tobacco trade. With agriculture being so profitable as a result of slave labor, most southerners were set in their agricultural lifestyle and did not see the need for industrialization. Contrarily, as time passed, the Northern colonies, which were geographically less suited for farming, became progressively less dependent on agriculture, and instead began to embrace urbanization and industrialization. With the rapid construction of factories and infrastructures such as railroads, manufacturing and overseas exports became the backbone of the Northern economy. Between 800 and 860, the percentage of [northern] laborers working in agricultural pursuits dropped drastically from 70% to 40% (Battlefields). This major economic transition, as well as the freedom and opportunity that America seemed to offer, attracted many immigrants from European countries. As a result, in the North, slaves, were essentially replaced by these immigrant laborers and by free blacks from the South. In addition to this, the North had adapted a free labor ideology, which essentially directly opposed the idea of slavery. These economic divergences led the North and South to slowly grow apart in their principles and interests, which contributed to the divisive nature of the US. The sectionalism resulted in an obvious split between the North and SouthΒ citizens were no longer just Americans, they were Northerners or Southerners.