Evaluate how sectional tensions shaped United States society from 1800 to 1848.
Sectional tensions shaped the United States through debate over slavery, economic differences. First, slavery was a main cause of sectional tensions through the United States. The Compromise of 1820 showed that the battle for and against slavery would be a long one. Missouri joined the union as a slave state, and Maine joined as a free slate. Both slavery and anti-slavery Americans wanted to have a difference in balance between free and slave states. Another example of evidence that shows the sectional tensions in the US was the failed Wilmot Proviso. This would stop the expansion of slavery in the newly gained Mexican territories. This continued the fight between pro and anti slavery Americans. One more example of evidence is the idea of popular sovereignty, or the idea that Americans would decide whether they would or not allow slavery. This showed the drastic divide between Americans. Another main cause of sectional tensions through the United States was economic differences. The south was very agricultural based and they relied on slave labour. This meant that they relied on importation of goods, unlike the north which was manufacturing much of their own goods. This was cause for concern when during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 drastically ravaged South Carolina’s economy. The South Carolina government nullified the federal law, and this led to Andrew Jackson threatening them. This lit the flame for the debate on state’s rights. Another economic difference between the north and the south was that the north was a destination for “old immigrants” from Ireland and Germany. Irish immigrants settled in the north, specifically the east coast, because jobs at factories were abundant. German immigrants settled in the mid-west, and were farmers on the frontier. The South was not a target for immigration because they relied on enslaved blacks for labor, and did not have the same kind of manufacturing industry.