The economic advantage that the North had over the South in the early 1800s can be summarized by the following point:
Northern industries, such as manufacturing and shipping, benefited from the cheap southern materials and exporting their own goods.
This reflects the North's industrial capabilities and infrastructure, which allowed it to capitalize on agricultural products produced in the South while also producing a wide array of manufactured goods. The reliance on industrialization and commerce gave the North a significant economic edge over the agrarian-based economy of the South during this period.