Based on the readings for Weeks 2 and 3, answer the
following question: to what extent were the North and South different societies? Consider perceptions at
the time, and the views of historians since.
The Northern and Southern societies of pre-war America had developed comparably distinct ways of life. The economic structure of the two blocs was the central difference between them. The free states developed a modern wage based system which attracted labor and encouraged the re-investment of capital. The South's economy was constructed around the slave, not just in terms of labor but also the speculation of financial instruments. The historian David Potter argued that they shared many similarities. But the North-South split in the Methodist Church illustrated how slavery pervaded all social debate and the way in which Americans formed their identities.
The most significant way in which the North and South were considered two different societies was their economy. By 1850, the North was built on a market economy based on production and manufacturing whilst the South continued to exist as a predominantly rural and agricultural society reliant on slave labour. This led to significant social differences and hostility between the two societies. The Second Awakening in the North saw a religious revival that was keen to save society from sin and as such, began to view slavery as morally corrupt. By contrast, the South felt that it was slavery that made them a great society, much like the Romans in George Fitzhugh’s opinion.
To an extent, Northern and Southern perceptions of the respective societies highlighted the significant differences of pre-war 1800's America. A progressive North, harnessing the market revolution with greater industrialization, transport and trade opportunities quickly saw the 'stagnant' Southern agriculturally based society instrinsically reliant on slave labour as inferior, as F. Olmstead describes "a large but unexpansive mind". Southern perceptions saw the South as the [agricultural] 'backbone' of America, cultivating land and prosperous people, while the North continued to be 'culturally mediocre' in comparison. The combined economic, social, political and religious asymmetries saw antebellum America as a hotbed of tension and contrasting differences.
Despite sharing the same political system, heritage and language, the North and South societies were fundamentally different. This distinction between the two is exemplified through their economic regimes as the North orchestrated a market revolution, facilitating progress in transportation, communications and culminating in the emergence of Modern Corporation. In comparison, the Southern society was dependent on the agriculture coupled with the most precious and crucial asset, slaves. Furthermore, slavery was the fundamental difference as it ensured Southern prosperity and dominated all facets of society. Dissimilarities in religious beliefs and slavery cemented the perception of difference, resulting in hostility and opposition.
By the mid 1800's the northern and southern states if the US had developed two distinctly separate identities. These different identities were put in keen contrast by writers from both north and south of the Mason-Dixon line. In the south figures like James Henry Hammond wrote derisively about the faults and corruptions of the 'free' north, while extolling the benevolence of a slave owning south. In the north emigrating southerners like the Grimke sisters spoke of the 'abominations' amongst which they had been raised. Amongst modern perspectives the shared language, history and racial heritage of north and south have given way to an understanding that the profound differences had developed between north and south.
In the lead up to the American Civil War, there existed a strong perception of difference between the Northern and Southern States, overlooking a number of increasingly shared characteristics, including language, faith, law, intolerance, government and heritage. Nevertheless these two societies were vastly different, the South was a society based on slavery, its economy was largely agricultural and wholly reliant on slave labor to survive. The North was far more industrialized with a higher percentage of educated people and city dwellers. Moreover, there existed vastly different social hierarchies in the south, one third of its entire population were automatically classified to be the lowest of the low
While the North and South shared a common history, they became increasingly different societies in a number of ways. Primarily, the North and South viewed each other as different, and thus inferior. In the eyes of the North, Southerners were indolent, backwards and utterly reliant on slavery. They viewed themselves as progressive, industrialised and more educated. Conversely, the South viewed the Northerners as corrupt and lacking in generosity. Citizens of the Southern states generally believed themselves to be hospitable and passionate with a thriving culture. These perceptions, whether accurate or not, were a factor in rendering the North and South different societies.
Before the civil war America’s north and south had split into two social systems because different beliefs and situations such religion and economics. Both the north and south saw themselves as the best even though there were a lot alike in language, history. The South’s economy was based on an agricultural society with the use of slavery as a necessity to survive. The North’s economy had moved away from agricultural to industrial which meant they were able to dominate the market revolution by way of distant trading. Levine believes that changes in working life and in the social structure of the North and South had brought with it important development which would have begun the Civil War.
By the mid 1950s, the societies of the American North and South had developed two distinct identities. In the North, the evolution of a market economy had led to the creation of an increasingly industrial society stressing productivity and female virtue, whilst the Second Great Awakening emphasised free moral agency above pre-destination. In contrast, the South remained overwhelmingly agricultural with both an economy and a cultural identity that revolved around slavery. Although historian David Potter argues that commonalities of religion, education and heritage outweighed these differences, it is clear that they created much hostility and opposition between the two populations, with Northerners viewing Southerners as backward and dependent and Southerners believing Northerners lacked honour and a natural hierarchy.
I think the North and the South were very different socially and economically in the 19th Century. George Fitzhugh’s article states that the South was very content with their way of living. He states that you can see how content the Southerners are as there is “no mobs, no trades unions, no strikes…no armed resistance.” He also writes that while population is slowly increasing, wealth has been increasing rapidly (especially where slaves are present) and their wealth is more evenly spread than in the Northern states. So from this, you get the picture that the Southerners are happy with their lives, not labouring themselves, but owning slaves to do it for them. On the other hand, the northerners view the Southern way of living as immoral and draining on their economy. Lydia Maria Child describes how paying for labourers works out better value economically than owning slaves. The North believe they are superior, set up better economically and have better resources. They work for their profits and earn them. The North and the South have very different ideologies , but both seem happy with their way of living.
At a foundational level the North and South were extremely different societies. Northern society was based on an industrial economy where technology and innovative thinking were seen as the keys to success and enhancement. On the other hand, the peculiar institution of slavery dominated society in the South. Any advancement in the South meant the extension and the promotion of slavery. As historian Bruce Levine has highlighted, it became almost impossible for Southerners to even contemplate the possibility of life without slavery. Furthermore, although racial equality was not present in the North, racial inequality in the South was extreme (as demonstrated by the fact that African Americans were purely seen as property).
Until the late 18th Century Northern and Southern Americans lived relatively similar lives, socially, economically, politically and religious beliefs. With the introduction of markets, banks and early manufacturing to the North in the 1850s, the divide became more distinct stemming from the diverging economies. This brought more changes in society such as urbanisation and trade in the North, compared to the continuation of agriculture built on slave labour in the South. The fundamental difference between the two was the South’s belief in their right to continue slavery. Historian Bruce Levine believes that the North changed dramatically while the South clung to its traditions.
While the North and South differed in their social and economical situations, what really separated the two societies were their own views of each other. George Templeton Strong argued in 1856 that the Civil War was inevitable because of the "conflict between two social systems". The two societies saw themselves as so different from each other, that no matter how many similarities that they had, nothing would change their personal views of their cultural identity. The Southerners saw themselves as peaceful and free; the Northerners saw this as lazy and unproductive. In contrast, the North believed that they were inventive and hard working; the South only saw them as bound and condemning of the Southern way of life. The biggest barrier between the North and South was their presumption of the other.
While the North and South of the United States considered themselves to be two entirely different societies at the time, it is a modern view that they were in fact quite alike. While economic developments lead to the North beginning to industrialise while the South became a dependent “slave society”, historians like David Potter hold the belief known as the “objective similarity thesis”; that the two sides of the country had more in common than they had differences by having the same political system, the same historical narrative and the same general cultural traits like language and religion.
The main difference that was present between the North and the South was their underlying economic and social situations and how the transformation of the Northern economy inevitably changed their social structure and greatly distanced the gap between the two societies, which generated conflicting views about each other. While the North saw significant economic prosperity due to industrialisation, the South stayed to their agricultural traditions of slavery. According to Rowan, slavery in the South was humiliating, disgraceful and had generated disapproval to the nation, and the North is hardworking which is evident in their economic prosperity. While Fitzhugh states the South are far more civilised than the free states and that no-one is overworked or underfed, and they are closer to liberty and equality than the free states. This gives the sense that there were conflicting views on each society which obviously increased the tension and distanced the gap between them.
Although the North and South shared a common language and heritage the differences between the two far outweighed the similarities. The primary difference between the regions can be found in its prevailing economies. In the North an industrialised, urbanised and commodity driven economy existed fuelled by low payed European migrants. Because of this system, the North’s economic, social and political makeups were dramatically modernized during the early 19th century. By contrast in the South an agrarian based economy centred around rural landholdings and fuelled by slavery was still in prominence. This economic system had its own positives, but not amongst them was modernization or a change in the historic economic, political or social aspects of Southern society. This rapid modernization in the North, with its industry and changing nature of social and family life and stagnation in the South mitigated all similarities between the two regions and instead bred two contrasting societies that viewed each other with disdain, mistrust and hostility.
Antebellum America saw the Northern and Southern regions developing in two distinct ways both economically and socially. The economic structure of the North was more advanced , with industrialization playing a major role in the modern development of the market economy. Trade was more predominant and the people themselves were, therefore, more urbanised. The South was a predominantly agricultural society that relied heavily on slave labour to create wealth. It became a ‘slave society,’ whereby it could not thrive economically or socially without the work of the slaves and the dominance of the whites unto them. Geographically, while the North was metropolitan, with a larger percentage of the people living and working in cities, the South remained predominantly rural. These differences influenced negative views of both regions to the other, entrenching hostilities within the two societies and deepening the perception of difference between them.
While the North and South shared a common existence coming into existence less than a century before, attitudes to slavery and one other had created a divide between the two. Significantly, economic advances in the North both prospered development and eradicated a need for slavery, while the cotton central south required cotton to ensure economic survival.
The Northern and Southern societies of pre-war America had developed comparably distinct ways of life. The economic structure of the two blocs was the central difference between them. The free states developed a modern wage based system which attracted labor and encouraged the re-investment of capital. The South's economy was constructed around the slave, not just in terms of labor but also the speculation of financial instruments. The historian David Potter argued that they shared many similarities. But the North-South split in the Methodist Church illustrated how slavery pervaded all social debate and the way in which Americans formed their identities.
ReplyDeleteThe most significant way in which the North and South were considered two different societies was their economy. By 1850, the North was built on a market economy based on production and manufacturing whilst the South continued to exist as a predominantly rural and agricultural society reliant on slave labour. This led to significant social differences and hostility between the two societies. The Second Awakening in the North saw a religious revival that was keen to save society from sin and as such, began to view slavery as morally corrupt. By contrast, the South felt that it was slavery that made them a great society, much like the Romans in George Fitzhugh’s opinion.
ReplyDeleteTo an extent, Northern and Southern perceptions of the respective societies highlighted the significant differences of pre-war 1800's America. A progressive North, harnessing the market revolution with greater industrialization, transport and trade opportunities quickly saw the 'stagnant' Southern agriculturally based society instrinsically reliant on slave labour as inferior, as F. Olmstead describes "a large but unexpansive mind". Southern perceptions saw the South as the [agricultural] 'backbone' of America, cultivating land and prosperous people, while the North continued to be 'culturally mediocre' in comparison. The combined economic, social, political and religious asymmetries saw antebellum America as a hotbed of tension and contrasting differences.
ReplyDeleteDespite sharing the same political system, heritage and language, the North and South societies were fundamentally different. This distinction between the two is exemplified through their economic regimes as the North orchestrated a market revolution, facilitating progress in transportation, communications and culminating in the emergence of Modern Corporation. In comparison, the Southern society was dependent on the agriculture coupled with the most precious and crucial asset, slaves. Furthermore, slavery was the fundamental difference as it ensured Southern prosperity and dominated all facets of society. Dissimilarities in religious beliefs and slavery cemented the perception of difference, resulting in hostility and opposition.
ReplyDeleteZoe Kron 22663908
By the mid 1800's the northern and southern states if the US had developed two distinctly separate identities. These different identities were put in keen contrast by writers from both north and south of the Mason-Dixon line. In the south figures like James Henry Hammond wrote derisively about the faults and corruptions of the 'free' north, while extolling the benevolence of a slave owning south. In the north emigrating southerners like the Grimke sisters spoke of the 'abominations' amongst which they had been raised. Amongst modern perspectives the shared language, history and racial heritage of north and south have given way to an understanding that the profound differences had developed between north and south.
ReplyDeleteIn the lead up to the American Civil War, there existed a strong perception of difference between the Northern and Southern States, overlooking a number of increasingly shared characteristics, including language, faith, law, intolerance, government and heritage. Nevertheless these two societies were vastly different, the South was a society based on slavery, its economy was largely agricultural and wholly reliant on slave labor to survive. The North was far more industrialized with a higher percentage of educated people and city dwellers. Moreover, there existed vastly different social hierarchies in the south, one third of its entire population were automatically classified to be the lowest of the low
ReplyDeleteWhile the North and South shared a common history, they became increasingly different societies in a number of ways. Primarily, the North and South viewed each other as different, and thus inferior. In the eyes of the North, Southerners were indolent, backwards and utterly reliant on slavery. They viewed themselves as progressive, industrialised and more educated. Conversely, the South viewed the Northerners as corrupt and lacking in generosity. Citizens of the Southern states generally believed themselves to be hospitable and passionate with a thriving culture. These perceptions, whether accurate or not, were a factor in rendering the North and South different societies.
ReplyDeleteBefore the civil war America’s north and south had split into two social systems because different beliefs and situations such religion and economics. Both the north and south saw themselves as the best even though there were a lot alike in language, history. The South’s economy was based on an agricultural society with the use of slavery as a necessity to survive. The North’s economy had moved away from agricultural to industrial which meant they were able to dominate the market revolution by way of distant trading. Levine believes that changes in working life and in the social structure of the North and South had brought with it important development which would have begun the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteBy the mid 1950s, the societies of the American North and South had developed two distinct identities. In the North, the evolution of a market economy had led to the creation of an increasingly industrial society stressing productivity and female virtue, whilst the Second Great Awakening emphasised free moral agency above pre-destination. In contrast, the South remained overwhelmingly agricultural with both an economy and a cultural identity that revolved around slavery. Although historian David Potter argues that commonalities of religion, education and heritage outweighed these differences, it is clear that they created much hostility and opposition between the two populations, with Northerners viewing Southerners as backward and dependent and Southerners believing Northerners lacked honour and a natural hierarchy.
ReplyDeleteI think the North and the South were very different socially and economically in the 19th Century.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Fitzhugh’s article states that the South was very content with their way of living. He states that you can see how content the Southerners are as there is “no mobs, no trades unions, no strikes…no armed resistance.” He also writes that while population is slowly increasing, wealth has been increasing rapidly (especially where slaves are present) and their wealth is more evenly spread than in the Northern states. So from this, you get the picture that the Southerners are happy with their lives, not labouring themselves, but owning slaves to do it for them.
On the other hand, the northerners view the Southern way of living as immoral and draining on their economy. Lydia Maria Child describes how paying for labourers works out better value economically than owning slaves. The North believe they are superior, set up better economically and have better resources. They work for their profits and earn them.
The North and the South have very different ideologies , but both seem happy with their way of living.
At a foundational level the North and South were extremely different societies. Northern society was based on an industrial economy where technology and innovative thinking were seen as the keys to success and enhancement. On the other hand, the peculiar institution of slavery dominated society in the South. Any advancement in the South meant the extension and the promotion of slavery. As historian Bruce Levine has highlighted, it became almost impossible for Southerners to even contemplate the possibility of life without slavery. Furthermore, although racial equality was not present in the North, racial inequality in the South was extreme (as demonstrated by the fact that African Americans were purely seen as property).
ReplyDeleteUntil the late 18th Century Northern and Southern Americans lived relatively similar lives, socially, economically, politically and religious beliefs. With the introduction of markets, banks and early manufacturing to the North in the 1850s, the divide became more distinct stemming from the diverging economies. This brought more changes in society such as urbanisation and trade in the North, compared to the continuation of agriculture built on slave labour in the South. The fundamental difference between the two was the South’s belief in their right to continue slavery. Historian Bruce Levine believes that the North changed dramatically while the South clung to its traditions.
ReplyDeleteWhile the North and South differed in their social and economical situations, what really separated the two societies were their own views of each other. George Templeton Strong argued in 1856 that the Civil War was inevitable because of the "conflict between two social systems". The two societies saw themselves as so different from each other, that no matter how many similarities that they had, nothing would change their personal views of their cultural identity. The Southerners saw themselves as peaceful and free; the Northerners saw this as lazy and unproductive. In contrast, the North believed that they were inventive and hard working; the South only saw them as bound and condemning of the Southern way of life. The biggest barrier between the North and South was their presumption of the other.
ReplyDeleteWhile the North and South of the United States considered themselves to be two entirely different societies at the time, it is a modern view that they were in fact quite alike. While economic developments lead to the North beginning to industrialise while the South became a dependent “slave society”, historians like David Potter hold the belief known as the “objective similarity thesis”; that the two sides of the country had more in common than they had differences by having the same political system, the same historical narrative and the same general cultural traits like language and religion.
ReplyDeleteThe main difference that was present between the North and the South was their underlying economic and social situations and how the transformation of the Northern economy inevitably changed their social structure and greatly distanced the gap between the two societies, which generated conflicting views about each other. While the North saw significant economic prosperity due to industrialisation, the South stayed to their agricultural traditions of slavery. According to Rowan, slavery in the South was humiliating, disgraceful and had generated disapproval to the nation, and the North is hardworking which is evident in their economic prosperity. While Fitzhugh states the South are far more civilised than the free states and that no-one is overworked or underfed, and they are closer to liberty and equality than the free states. This gives the sense that there were conflicting views on each society which obviously increased the tension and distanced the gap between them.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the North and South shared a common language and heritage the differences between the two far outweighed the similarities. The primary difference between the regions can be found in its prevailing economies. In the North an industrialised, urbanised and commodity driven economy existed fuelled by low payed European migrants. Because of this system, the North’s economic, social and political makeups were dramatically modernized during the early 19th century. By contrast in the South an agrarian based economy centred around rural landholdings and fuelled by slavery was still in prominence. This economic system had its own positives, but not amongst them was modernization or a change in the historic economic, political or social aspects of Southern society. This rapid modernization in the North, with its industry and changing nature of social and family life and stagnation in the South mitigated all similarities between the two regions and instead bred two contrasting societies that viewed each other with disdain, mistrust and hostility.
ReplyDeleteAntebellum America saw the Northern and Southern regions developing in two distinct ways both economically and socially. The economic structure of the North was more advanced , with industrialization playing a major role in the modern development of the market economy. Trade was more predominant and the people themselves were, therefore, more urbanised. The South was a predominantly agricultural society that relied heavily on slave labour to create wealth. It became a ‘slave society,’ whereby it could not thrive economically or socially without the work of the slaves and the dominance of the whites unto them. Geographically, while the North was metropolitan, with a larger percentage of the people living and working in cities, the South remained predominantly rural. These differences influenced negative views of both regions to the other, entrenching hostilities within the two societies and deepening the perception of difference between them.
ReplyDeleteWhile the North and South shared a common existence coming into existence less than a century before, attitudes to slavery and one other had created a divide between the two. Significantly, economic advances in the North both prospered development and eradicated a need for slavery, while the cotton central south required cotton to ensure economic survival.
ReplyDelete