Question

How did the two major political parties misread the public's feelings towards slavery by the early 1850s? how did this cause the political system to change? what political parties evolved? what was the main political beliefs of each?

Answer 1

The South was an agricultural economy while the North became more and more industrialized. Different social cultures and political beliefs developed. All of this led to disagreements on issues such as taxes, tariffs and internal improvements as well as states rights versus federal rights. The struggle between the federal government and individual states focused on the institution of slavery and whether the federal government had the right to regulate slavery within an individual state. The sides on the slavery were mostly divided between the north and south which caused tension. Slavery was the most significant factor that caused the war. The new territories gained sparked even more debate about slavery. Abolitionist fought to have the new territories become anti-slave. However those who were pro-slavery thought the declaration of those territories becoming anti-slave states would eventually result in slavery becoming outlawed in slave