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The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in 1794. It was an invention that removed seeds from cotton much more efficiently than ever before. Previously,  people had to manually remove the seeds directly from the cotton. Whitney invented the cotton gin after visiting a friend in the South, and seeing the difficulties of removing seeds from cotton. His invention soon became popular throughout the South, where cotton was grown. Cotton production throughout the South exploded. Cotton soon became the primary crop grown and the cotton gin was needed everywhere. To keep up with the cotton gin, more slaves than ever before were needed.  This greatly increased sectionalism throughout the United States.

Rise of Sectionalism Rating: 3/5
The cotton gin heavily affected the rise of sectionalism in the United States. It led to an increased reliance of slavery in the South, where cotton was being produced more than ever before, because of the cotton gin. The North however, was becoming more industrialized. The two regions began growing very far apart. The rating is not higher only because Northern manufacturers benefited from the cheap cotton. Also, at the time, the focus of the country was not slavery, so it did not directly cause many problems. However,  any chance of slavery simply dying out, died with the invention of the cotton gin. This would cause problems in the future as the north wanted slavery abolished, but inventions such as the cotton gin made the south extremely reliant on slavery. Slavery is what eventually caused the Civil War, so the cotton gin did eventually have a real effect on sectionalism, and the eventual outbreak of fighting between the North and South.

https://www.britannica.com/technology/cotton-gin
Unit 7 Slides
https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/cotton-gin-and-eli-whitney

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This is a drawing of the cotton gin. It allowed for the removal of seeds from cotton much quicker and easier than ever before. More cotton needed to be produced to keep up with the cotton gin.
More slaves=More cotton for the cotton gin

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The Compromise of 1850 did a number of things. Both the North and South benefited, as well as weakened both sides in different ways.  California became a free state, resulting in there being more free states than slave states in the Union. Slave trade was also abolished in D.C.  Slavery in New Mexico and Utah was left for the people to decide. The United States took Texas' debt and lastly, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. The major victory in the North was California being a free state, and the South got the Fugitive Slave Act. This act made it much easier for the South to capture and bring back escaped slaves. The North was enraged by this and the South was unhappy with there being more free states because the North could now out vote the South.

Rise of Sectionalism Rating: 4/5
These two major parts of the compromise further divided the North and the South. The South grew fearful of the North because they could outvote them ( balance was broken). Also, the North was outraged by the Fugitive Slave Act. Northerners did not want anything to do with slavery, and they surely didn't want to help the South with it. They did not want slavery to spread out west either. The two sides grew even farther apart, both afraid and angry of the other side. The only reason this did not receive a 5/5 is because it temporarily kept the North and South together for 10 more years.

Unit 8 Slides
https://www.history.com/topics/abolitionist-movement/compromise-of-1850
https://www.britannica.com/event/Compromise-of-1850

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Henry Clay, also known as the Great Compromiser, speaking to the Senate, arguing for the Compromise of 1850.

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The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed for popular sovereignty to decide whether slavery would be permitted in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska.  These territories were deemed to be slave free under the Missouri Compromise. However,  under the Kansas Nebraska Act, they could potentially be slave states. This was a huge victory for the South, as slavery could now spread to other parts of the country. It couldn't be worse for the North, who were trying to contain the evils of slavery to the South. This would lead people of boths sides to flood into Kansas, trying to sway the vote. Violence was common between the two group, in what is known as Bleeding Kansas.

Rise of Sectionalism Rating: 4.5/5
The north is growing increasingly angry as all of  the progress they made with the Missouri compromise has now been revoked. Things were getting so bad between the sides, that violence was beginning to break out. Lives were lost in the fighting. We are beginning to see the tipping point for some people, who cannot control their anger for the other side much longer. With the anger between the two sides boiling, the two sides continued driving apart, and now the Civil War was only 7 years away. This was yet another act to keep the two sides together, but it only further enraged the people of the North. This did not receive a 5/5 because it kept the south happy, and delayed their succession for at least a few years.

Unit 8 Slides
https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/kansas-nebraska-act
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kansas-Nebraska-Act

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In the map, it can be seen that the territories of Kansas and Nebraska were open to the spread of slavery. The New Mexico and Arizona territories were open to slavery as well due to the the Compromise of 1850.

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The Dred Scott v Sanford case was a famous, but highly controversial case by the Supreme Court. Dred Scot was a slave who was taken into free territory, and argued that because he was in free territory, he should become a free man. The Supreme Court not only disagreed, but did far more. They said that no person of African descent could be a U.S. citizen, had no right to sue, and that Congress did not have the power to stop slavery from spreading to other parts of the country. This was a huge victory for the South, and a devastating blow for the North. However, support for the Republican Party did increase after the decision.

Rise of Sectionalism Rating: 5/5
It is now clear that the Supreme Court is pro-slavery. The North is left feeling angry and disappointed, while the South couldn´t be happier. The North is increasingly supporting the Republican Party, which would play a major part in the succession of the South and the Civil War. The anger between the two sides is at an all time high, with only a few more years until the Southern states succeed. The two sides have very different wants and are becoming increasingly frustrated when their side does not win a conflict.

https://www.britannica.com/summary/Dred-Scott-decision
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/dred-scott-case

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Dred Scott v Sanford Case        ( 1857) 

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Dred Scott v Sanford Case        ( 1857) 

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A picture of Dred Scott, the man suing for his freedom. He was at the losing end of the famous case followed by millions.

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The election of Abraham Lincoln was the last major event leading up to the Civil War. Republican,  Abraham Lincoln, defeated Douglas, Breckinridge, and Bell to become the 16th President of the United States. The election was surrounded by the issue of slavery, and what the country should do about it. Lincoln was against the spread of slavery, scaring all of the slave states. For them, this was the last straw.

Rise of Sectionalism Rating: 5/5
The North finally got a victory in Lincoln becoming the 16th President. This terrified the South. Even though Lincoln said that he would not take the Southern states' slaves, they proceeded to leave the Union not long after Lincoln was elected. The South had finally reached it's tipping point. They believed the North and Lincoln would take their slaves, and the only way to protect themselves, was by leaving the Union. This resulted in the start of the Civil War, as Lincoln deemed it illegal to leave the Union. There was no more trying to appease to each side and the damage could not be repaired.

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/election-of-1860
https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1860

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The results of the 1860 Presidential Election. It can be seen that Lincoln won the electoral college, and captured the most votes out of all the candidates.

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At what point did the conflict between the North and the South become irreconcilable?

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At what point did the conflict between the North and the South become irreconcilable?

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The conflict between the North and the South became irreconcilable when Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United. States. This is because of the   South's fear of the rising Republican Party, the succession of Southern states, and the rise of the Confederate States of America.