Sectionalism- loyalty to the personal identification with a section of the U.S.

(like the South or the

North) instead of the whole nation; differences among regions affected the action, reactions, and view points of its people NORTH Human characteristics: Most cities (urban); most reform organizations; many factory workers; high population growth, crowded cities and poverty Geography: cool climate, rocky soil (poor farmland); fast rivers (good for factories powered by water); fishing resources Economy: Manufacturing(textiles); fishing, shipping; wage labor, industrious Transportation: canals, rivers, railroads, national roads SOUTH Human Characteristics: plantations; family farms; large slave populations, (more than half in some states); low population growth Geography: warm climate, good farmlands Economy: farming of cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar; slave labor, slaves valued as property, huge portion of southern wealth based on slave labor, cottage industry, subsistence farming Transportation: rural roads, fewer rivers, no national roads, few railroads WEST Human Characteristics: lightly populated, but growing; mixture of ethnic groups (Indians, Spanish, French); few slaves, new settlements Geography: plentiful land; mineral deposits, fur resources Economy: Small farms; mining(coal, gold, silver); fur trapping, buffalo hunting Transportation: Wagon trails, too early for railroads

Slaves and Free Blacks

Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) Scott was a slave who lived in the north. He sued for his freedom while living in the North. The Supreme Court ruled (1) slaves are not citizens, (2) slaves were property, (3) slaves could not file lawsuits, (4) slavery could not be prohibited in new territories (Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional) The rulings angered many northerners who were abolitionists as well as blacks.

Political: slaves could not carry arms or leave their homes without written permission; slaves and most free blacks could not vote, hold office, or testify against whites in court; in the South free blacks could be held until they showed identity papers; in the North free blacks were able to organize, speak out against slavery, and publish texts Social: free blacks could not attend public school; in South it was illegal to teach slaves how to read and write; in the North free blacks could organize churches, have black schools, and organizations. Slaves could be split up if sold, slaves celebrate their religious beliefs Economic: most slaves worked in the fields on Southern plantations and kept none of the wealth they created. Free blacks in the North were hired for lower wages than whites and given mostly unskilled work. The Fugitive Slave Act passed by Congress made it unsafe for both free and runaway slaves to remain free. Blacks were kidnapped, or arrested and detained. Free blacks were sold into slavery. Some moved to Canada.

Frederick Douglass lived in England for a few years to avoid the Fugitive Slave Act. He wrote many books about slavery.

Sectionalism

1) What is the difference between nationalism and sectionalism?

2) How did sectionalism affect the relationship between the regions?

Slaves and Free Blacks

1) How were the rights of blacks protected under the law?

2) What role did blacks play in the economy of the U.S.?

3) What role did blacks play in the prosperity of America?