World’s Apart

1. World’s Apart EQ: What caused tensions between the North and South?

2. Slavery in the United States • Slavery had a long history in the USA • The 13 colonies had all allowed slavery – there were more in the South than the North • After the War for Independence, several Northern states passed laws to abolish slavery – Southern states chose not to

3. Slavery in the United States • At the Constitutional Convention, some delegates tried to stop slavery in all states • One delegate said slavery did not fit in with “the principles of the Revolution.”

4. The growth of slavery • Delegates could not agree to end slavery – many hoped it would just die out • Changes in southern farming caused slavery to grow in coming years • Invention = cotton gin (made cotton much easier to produce, so more slaves were needed)

5. Growth of slavery • By 1840, the south was growing most of the world’s cotton • Plantation owners used their profits to buy more land and more slaves • In 1760 there were about 700,000 enslaved people • By 1860, there were nearly 4,000,000

6. Resistance to slavery • Sometimes enslaved people fought against slave owners • Nat Turner, a slave, led a rebellion against slave owners • He and his followers killed 59 people before being stopped by the local militia • After this rebellion, southern states passed laws to control both enslaved and free blacks

7. Resistance to slavery • Slavery became a deep conflict between the North and the South • Southerners argued that slavery was too important to their economy to give up • People in the North argued that slavery kept the country’s economy from growing faster – also that slavery was unfair and wrong