Section #1 - Causal Factors
Sectional Economics
The South’s commitment to agriculture clashes with the North’s wish for industrialization.
| Year | Event | Description | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1791 | Hamilton’s Report on Manufactures. | Hamilton calls for capitalism and domestic manufacturing, leading to tariffs that infuriate the agricultural South. | Chapter 15 |
| 1801 | Election of Thomas Jefferson. | A shift to States’ Rights control over spending; agricultural growth overshadows Northern manufacturing. | Chapter 21 |
| 1828 | “Tariff of Abominations.” | Congress increases rates to 35%, benefiting Northern manufacture but attacking Southern cotton profits. | Chapter 57 |
| 1858 | “Cotton is King” speech. | Senator Hammond asserts the entire nation depends on cotton and warns of Southern military defense. | Chapter 223 |