Issues of the territorial division of the United States were among the major issues long before and after the Civil War. In particular territories and their unequal use during the slave-holding period of history, when there was a pronounced division of territories into southern and northern states. The North was predominantly dominant over the South for several reasons. The conditions of the northern states, coupled with slavery, resulted in a divided America and a lack of a unified national core. The division into nations by geographic area was expressed in economic and cultural parameters1. In addition, demographics are among the most important in assessing the role of geography in splitting the nation before the Civil War. The superiority of the North over the Southern states was justified by the breadth of the prevalence and acceptance of slavery as a natural part of life. Geography played a role in establishing order in America’s new territories, spreading rebellion to overthrow slavery, and regulating the Constitution.
First of all, it is necessary to establish the role of U.S. territorial expansion, which consisted in deciding what order the new parts of America would support. Slavery was the stumbling block that affirmed the fact that geographic separation harmed the United States as a nation and posed risks to its unity. Advancement westward was accompanied by numerous questions about whether the new lands would be free or slave lands, leading to regular clashes2. As a consequence, several political zones emerged, reflecting that most zones remained slave-holding and Northern states’ influence allowed for the acquisition of more and more territory3. The divide between free and slave states ran along the Ohio River valley, thus even visual unevenness was visible4. The national split occurred gradually as people from the annexed territories sought to oppose proclaimed policies that prohibited the free will of indigenous peoples5. The freedom of speech that the North loudly claimed did not work for anyone other than its territories. At the same time, indigenous peoples, by virtue of their territories, chose to fight the invaders, but the industrial dominance of the North suppressed resistance.
Another important role that geography played in the national divide was the debates and confrontations in which revolts and aspirations to overthrow the slave system took place. Among the acute conflicts were the annexation of territories taken from Mexico, which exacerbated the inequalities of the Northern and Southern states in economic and cultural aspects. The economic aspects were expressed in the location of industries, factories and industrial plants in the Northern states, which increased their potential for regional development and consequently increased their power to conquer new territories. At the same time, the Southern states were sagging: they did not have enough support to develop the territories, and the burden of keeping slaves and containing rebellions greatly weakened their strength. As a result, laws like the Fugitive Slave Laws emerged as part of the Compromise of 1850, which had no effect on either territory6. The Southern states became increasingly estranged from the Northern states because they could not maintain their power over the enslaved people7. Revolts caused the territories to become vulnerable to the annexed regions seeking to seize their power back8. Geographical separation left the regions in distress and no longer able to be united as a whole because of differences in economy and culture.
Finally, geographical separation influenced the formation of the Constitution and its provisions on slavery accordingly. In particular, Southern states had to represent far fewer people in Congress, since the presence of ungoverned enslaved people called into question the respectability of Southern states. In addition, slavery did not end as a phenomenon: it could only wane as a result of the action of enslaved Southerners who expressed discontent9. The Democratic Party sought to move to a concerted government, but attempts to unify rural and small towns were not successful. The split was gradual, but gripped many territories and people as the United States proved unable to find a legal point of contact between people with a slaveholding past and initially free people. Separation led to a pronounced civil conflict, so the problems of the U.S. as a nation became even more visible10. Civil liberties were not fully guaranteed, as observation of the repression and persecution of formerly enslaved people showed the imperfections of the American constitutional order.
Consequently, the geographic impact on the political and economic life of the United States is undeniable in the changing dynamics of the relationship between the South and the North. Acting as the dominant figure, the North takes responsibility for influencing industry in the southern territories as it seeks to introduce democracy and the principles of a “new” America. However, this fails due to the geographically based division of territories, which tried to be expressed as slave or free. The pursuit of this division has warped the American experience of their territories, putting their conquest dynamics in a positive light. Such divisions have led to a split national core that has yet to emerge as an American nation.
References
Manifest destiny (no date). The American Yawp. Web.
The Sectional crisis (no date). The American Yawp. Web.
The Civil War (no date). The American Yawp. Web.
Effects of the fugitive slave law lithograph, 1850. (no date). The American Yawp. Web.
Mickals, D. (2015). Angelina Grimké Weld. Women History. Web.
Sectional crisis map, 1856. (no date). The American Yawp. Web.
Footnotes
- 13. The Sectional crisis (no date). The American Yawp. Web.
- 13. The Sectional crisis (no date). The American Yawp.
- Sectional crisis map, 1856. (no date). The American Yawp. Web.
- 13. The Sectional crisis (no date). The American Yawp.
- 12. Manifest destiny (no date). The American Yawp. Web.
- Effects of the fugitive slave law lithograph, 1850. (no date). The American Yawp. Web.
- Mickals, D. (2015). Angelina Grimké Weld. Women History. Web.
- 13. The Sectional crisis (no date). The American Yawp.
- 13. The Sectional crisis (no date). The American Yawp.
- 14. The Civil War (no date). The American Yawp. Web.