Even before the American Civil War outbreak in 1861, the North and South were divided. Over 750,000 people would be slain in the four years that followed, but American history would be altered, including the abolition of slavery.1 Therefore, using a geographical lens to examine the North-South divide is a strong perspective. Human geography and physical geography are two geographical components used to describe the separation. Roads and buildings are examples of human geography, whereas climate and terrain characteristics are examples of physical geography. Therefore, geography played a role in dividing the South and North due to population dissimilarities, dictation of economic activities, and varying climatic scenarios.
To begin with, there were demographic discrepancies between the North and the South. The population is an important part of geography because it teaches spatial distribution, migration, and dynamics. As a result, around 21 million people lived in the northern 23 states. The South had 9 million people, including 3.5 million enslaved people.2 Due to various circumstances, the North had a far larger population than the South. One is that the North had many immigrants, enslaved people, and individuals who came from Europe to work in booming industries.3 Second, the North had more cities and urban centers, which drew more people. The years 1790-1861 practically coincide with the period of the Industrial Revolution, which lasted from 1760 to 1840. As a result, many Europeans were traveling to find employment in the industries, and the ideal place was the North, which could meet the immigrants’ demands. As a result, one factor that split the North and South in the years preceding the Civil War was population.
Additionally, geography dictated the economic activities in the North and the South. For example, within the South, the land was more fertile than in the North, and this created an ideal place for larger-scale farming activities, mainly for yields such as sugarcane, cotton, and tobacco, thereby leading to more slave trade.4 South’s fertile lands swayed people to appreciate the need for industrial progress. Nevertheless, soil infertility did not favor the North. Northern parts were blessed with many natural resources, for instance, copper and iron. 5These resources made it more probable to create manufacturing companies, thus boosting its economic activities.6 Hence, through geography, the North and the South had different aspects, such as climate and resources, that favored different economic activities.
Moreover, climatic conditions played a key aspect in depicting the differences between the North and the South. In the Northern parts, the climate led to warm summers and cold winters. Nevertheless, in the South, the climate was mainly warm plus sunny. The summers were also long and hot, and winters became mild. In addition, the growing seasons within the Southern states were elongated than those experienced in the North. Therefore, this supported increased farming using slavery. 7 That means that even though both regions were not physically separated, they were divided by climate. The climatic patterns of each region were different mainly since the Northern states tend to lie towards the North pole, which is associated with cold winters. Nonetheless, the climate of the South headed towards the equator, which is known to be warm and experiences more rainfall.
Lastly, besides the political differences in the years leading to the American Civil War, the Southern and Northern states were divided by geography. One way of looking at the role of geography is via the populace lens. The North had more population than the South due to industrialization as well as increased rates of immigration. Secondly, geography via land use created economic differences between the North and the South. Third, in the North, the climate led to reduced growing seasons as opposed to the South, which was warm and had longer planting seasons.
Bibliography
Butler, Benjamin. “Commander of the Department of Virginia to the General-In-Chief of the Army.” Freedmen and Southern Society Project, 1861. Web.
Lincoln, Abraham. “Second Inaugural Address.” 1865. Web.
NBC News Learn. “Compromise of 1850.” YouTube Vlog. Youtube, 2019. Web.
NBC News Learn. “Northern Internal Dissent.” Video. YouTube, 2020. Web.
NBC News Learn. “Slaves Crossing Union Lines.” Video. Youtube, 2020. Web.
Stephens, Alexander. Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, with Documents, Narratives, Illustrative Incidents, Poetry, Etc. Edited by Frank Moore. Vol. 1. New York, 1861.
Footnotes
- Abraham Lincoln, “Second Inaugural Address,” Web.
- NBC News Learn, “Slaves Crossing Union Lines,” Video, Youtube, 2020, Web.
- Benjamin Butler, “Commander of the Department of Virginia to the General-In-Chief of the Army,” Freedmen and Southern Society Project, 1861, Web.
- Alexander Stephens, Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, with Documents, Narratives, Illustrative Incidents, Poetry, Etc, ed. Frank Moore, vol. 1 (New York, 1861), 45.
- NBC News Learn, “Northern Internal Dissent,” Video, YouTube, 2020, Web.
- NBC News Learn, “Compromise of 1850,” YouTube Vlog, Youtube, 2019, Web.
- NBC News Learn, “Northern Internal Dissent,” Video, YouTube, 2020, Web.