3.Economic Antagonism Between North and South

During the early half of the 19th century，the United States witnessed significant economic changes with the political changes and territorial expansion.In the south，with the introduction of Whitney’s¹ cotton gin in 1793，the traditional crops of tobacco and rice gave way to the widespread cultivation of cotton.Cotton became“king”crop in the South and brought much wealth to the planters.After 1815，cotton played a critical role in the developing market economy of the entire nation.It fed the northern textile industry and provided consumer goods for every region in the country.It represented half of the exports of the United States，and paid for a major percentage of its imports.Consequently，slavery，which had actually been on the decline before 1800，now became firmly rooted in the South.Many southerners now considered slavery as a necessary evil and began defending it as a proper way of life.

In the North，industry was“king”.New England，New Jersey，New York，and eastern Pennsylvania became the nation’s industrial centers.As more and more factories were built，there was a growing demand for labor.Most of the early factory workers came from farms.Now some northerners expected to get the blacks from the South.Then a strong movement to abolish slavery appeared in the North.Many important citizens and lawmakers in the North spoke out against slavery.In 1852，Harriet Beecher Stowe² published her famous book Uncle Tom’s Cabin，which made many northerners aware of the terrible things that happened to the slaves in the South.People who read the book became angry at slavery.This novel has been described as one of the significant events leading up to the Civil War.

In sum，two different social-economic systems existed side by side in the United States.In the South slavery was the foundation of the economic system while in the North industry and commerce were the main character of its economy.The swiftly growing industries in the North required the restriction of slavery as well as an expanding territory in order to provide capitalist production with raw materials，markets and an abundant labor supply.The slave economy in the South was an obstacle to industrial growth and expansion.This economic antagonism led to increased conflicts between the North and the South.