Explain why sectionalism was one of the causes of the Civil War.

Answer:

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: Sectionalism is defined as having loyalty to one’s own region. People living in the North were loyal to the North, and people living in the South were loyal to the South. The main issue with this is that the North and South were completely different regions in the 1800s, which caused major tension when it came to politics and the overall vision for the country. For example, the people living in the North based their economy on manufacturing. Most of their labor was provided by immigrants from foreign countries. They were also anti-slavery, which meant that Northern states were free states. The South looked very different; they based their economy on agriculture,which required a large labor force. Their labor force was made up mostly of slaves. Because the South was so dependent on slave labor, they were pro-slavery and allowed slavery in their states. These differences caused tensions between the two regions, which was one of the factors that led to the Civil War.