Question

How did economic differences between the North and South contribute to the rise of sectionalism in the years leading up to the Civil War?
A. The North’s economy was based on agriculture, while the South focused on industrialization.
B. The North relied heavily on manufacturing and trade, while the South depended on plantation agriculture and slavery.
C. Both the North and South had similar economies that were focused on farming and shipping.
D. The North’s economy was more dependent on slavery than the South’s economy.

Answer 1

B.

The North industrialized (manufacturing, commerce, wage labor) while the South relied on plantation agriculture and slave labor. Those opposing economic systems produced different political priorities (tariffs, internal improvements, westward expansion, and especially the future of slavery), fueling sectional tensions that led toward the Civil War.