Khalid Alkhaldi
History 165
Third Response Paper
2 December 2012
The Civil War stemmed from many issues mainly, the economic differences in the northern and southern states, states’ rights, slavery, the election of Abraham Lincoln and finally the southern succession were the driving forces behind the outbreak of the civil war. Moving into the 19th century, the southern and northern states began to develop different industries and therefore different class systems. In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. This invention made cotton extremely profitable and prompted many southern planters to begin farming cotton instead of other crops. In the production of cotton, there is a high need for labor. In the southern states, labor meant slaves. Although there was other options for labor in the south, slaves were the cheapest labor and to planters, cheaper labor meant higher profits. The wealth that was associated with plantation life, led to an agricultural focus in the south. As soon in Visions in America, there was a definite class system present in the south with planters on top, followed by landless white men, and then finally slaves. In the north, the economy was based on industry. The northern economy depended on purchasing raw goods (including those goods manufactured in the southern states) and using those goods in factories and producing finished goods. Because of the increase in factories, people from different cultures and classes began having more interaction. Immigrants, native whites, and even blacks worked in the same industries. This led to an increase in cultural and class molding, therefore, a decreased sense of racial superiority. From the consummation of the United States Constitution, there were two main opponents: those in support of a strong federal government and those opposed to a strong federal government. When the Articles of