So, a good answer to this would look at the following:
Economy:
The big difference between the North and South was the divide between industrial and agrarian. The Southern economy was heavily based on farming tobacco and cotton and used slave labor. The Northern economy developed into an industrial economy.
Social Structure:
Again, the Northern live was based around industrial bases located in urban centers. So, Northern social structures were based on merchant class structures while the Southern structure was based on who owned the largest plantation.
Daily Life:
Go into city v. country
Social Attitudes:
This is where the divide on slavery emerged. Religious differences between Unitarianism and Episcopal/Baptist faith fueled this
The concluding paragraph:
The question is asking you to take what you talked about above, particular in regards to geography, social structure, and daily life and apply it to the West. Does the West at the time sound more like New England's industrial urban centers or the South's spread out plantations in need of cheap workers?
