Missouri Compromise and Nullification - Essay Example

Missouri Compromise and Nullification It has taken the United s many trials and errors in order to reach the world supremacy that it enjoys today. Like all other countries that have existed, the United States has been tested both internally and externally. The first major test for the formation of the United States following the separation from England was that of a political debate. The disagreements in the way that the United States should run was a discrepancy from the beginning and the many years of festering is what ultimately lead to the bloodiest war that the United States has ever been involved in: the American Civil War. Since the debate between the Federalist and Anti-Federalists, the discussion between the debate of states vs. federal rights is what ultimately set the stage for the powder keg for the civil war. Sociologically, the differences in the cultures of the North and South also played a role in this respect. Due to the fact that the south had a huge agrarian society, it felt that the government should respect state’s rights over that of the federal government. The more industrialized north was in greater favor of federal power over state’s rights. This disagreement about the fundamental powers in the government is what leads to this debate and Missouri Compromise. Superficially, the issue of the Missouri Compromise was over whether or not any more slave states were to be admitted into the union. The reason for this was because in the senate, the balance of power between the slave states and non-slave states had been equal; the admission of Missouri as either a slave or non-slave state would upset the balance. The United States had purchased the territory of Louisiana from the French and the way in which it was going to be divided into slave and free territories. The first motion was that Missouri should not have slaves, which contradicted the current conditions in the state where there were already slaves being used to work the economy. The only way the compromise worked was related to keeping the balance of power in the senate stable. The territory of Maine applied for statehood which helped lead to a compromise. Maine was introduced to the Union as a free state and Missouri was admitted as a slave state, which kept tensions constant for the time being. However, the Missouri Compromise would not represent the last debate that would occur over the concept of state and federal rights in relation to the slavery debate that was plaguing the United States. The economics and sociocultural factors also played a role to the start of the Nullification Crisis, which in essence was the prelude to the start of the Confederation States of America. The government had passed a tariff that became known as the Tariff of Abominations. Due to the already latent economic stress on the state of South Carolina, the tariff was causing a high economic deficit. This lead to a verbal argument between South Carolina state senator, John Calhoun, and President Andrew Jackson over what the constitution was standing for. The senator believed that due to the fact that the tariff was looked at as unconstitutional, the state had the power to not abide by the tariff, or nullify it. After much debate and the dispersion of the US Navy to South Carolina, the state threatened to secede from the Union if a compromise was not met. To the state’s misfortune, none of the other southern states followed its move. Eventually, a compromise was reached leaving the Union temporarily intact. As described earlier, the causes of these two debates were due to the innate differences in thinking between the cultures of the north and the south. The north had achieved a great industrial power due to the industrial revolution and the creation of new technologies that helped stimulate the economy. Following the suit of the enlightened way of thinking, they looked at slavery as a violation of the United States in that the constitution protected the natural rights of everyone in the United States. Slavery had been used in the south since before the territories of Britain were well developed. The agrarian society was the main economic stimulator for the south and thus it requires a huge workforce. The south, being more traditional than the north, still viewed slaves as property. Since the slaves were property, southern citizens did not see this as a question of constitutional rights. In addition, slaves did not count in the power that was granted by state’s populations in the House of Representatives. The economies were also different. The north was a massive industrial power that manufactured a majority of the industrial products exported as well as participated in metallurgy, which yielded great profit. Due to this increased source of income, the north could afford to pay the high taxes implemented by the federal government. The southern states did not have the natural resources to develop as sophisticated as an industrial economy as the north. Agrarian based societies faced harder economic conditions than that of the north. Agrarian economies are subjected to multiple external factors, which can affect crop yield including weather conditions, harvesting techniques, blights, pesticides, etc. Differences in the way that the government should be run also caused sectional differences. Due to the economic and cultural issues, the way in which the government should be run was of debate. The real power of the southern states resided in the senate where equality was key due to the lower populations that existed. By lower populations, this consisted of the white land owners because slaves were not considered apart of the population. The attempted cessation of South Carolina also proved a point which would be a premonition for what was to come. It showed that the Union would do whatver it could in order to hold the United States together. Therefore, these sectional differences between the north and the south are what fundamentally caused the civil war, but specifically the Missouri Compromise and the Nullification crisis was the ignition to the war. The Old South Since its starting as colonies, the southern United States functioned as the agricultural warehouse for the country. A majority of the crops and other agriculture goods that were grown there were sold as the sole source of income. As a result, this huge agricultural machine required a large workforce, namely the use of slaves. The north had adapted to an industrial way of producing economic stability, therefore the institutions of the north and south were becoming more and more incompatible resulting the civil war. As stated previously, the entire southern economy was based on the production and sale of agricultural goods. The warm and humid climate of the south made it a powerhouse for a multitude of crops. This was one of the reasons that Great Britain was so eager to colonize the southern part of North America in the first place. Due to the enormous plots of land that were used in the creation of this agricultural powerhouse, it necessitated a huge labor force. This growth of cash crops was essential such as that of tobacco, corn, cotton, etc. This required the importation of thousands of slaves from Africa. Of all of the agricultural goods produced by the south, the most important one by far was cotton, which earned it the nickname of “King Cotton”. It constituted about a third of all the revenue generated by agricultural products. In particular, the trade with England for cotton was what was helping make the economy in the south flourish. The cotton was used primarily in the manufacturing of textiles. What was even more important was that there was very little investment that had to be done on cotton plantations because the workforce did not have to be paid. Therefore, the crutch that the south was living on was producing a huge profit. Even though the North was not “directly” involved in slavery, it had a role to play in regards to the south. Merchants from the north sold slaves to farms and plantations in the south to make a profit. In addition, slaves that were caught trying to escape to the north were forced back down to the south. The reason that merchants in the north had a vested interested on this was also related to the cotton trade and the textile industry, which was a booming business. Therefore, both parties had a profit that could be shared in the capture and sale of slaves. Even though the south was associated with slavery, a majority of those in the south did not own slaves. Most of the farms were self-sufficient and were operated by families in smaller communities. Only the wealthiest of the southerners that owned large plantations had the funds in order to support the workforce for a slave population. The most of this aristocracy was the rich that came out as the result of the American Revolution or were referred to as “old money”. The culture of the south also is what made it such a unified force despite the inequalities. Most of the south was uneducated, but were connected through traditions and kinship. In addition, the role that the church played in the south was much greater than that in the north. This was one of the arguments that the south used for slaves was due to the fact that slaves were used in the Bible. The north was a progressive institution compared to that of the traditional south. With all of the new technologies and industries being developed, it created a faster paced way of life. In addition, education played a much higher value up in the north due to the need for skilled labor in comparison to the slave force. The growth of the metal refining and other related industrial units was of great importance. They also started to follow the enlightened way of thought that was the result of the advancement of society and the higher emphasis placed on attaining an education. This lead to many citizens picking up the mantle of the abolitionist movement in order to free slaves, especially those that were born in the United States because they were thought to have the rights granted to everyone born in the United States under the constitution. This conflict of the secular nature of both the north and the south is what lead to the civil war. However, in essence the north was somewhat supporting the concept of slavery, due to the fact that slavery was making the southern economy run specifically though cotton. This in turn was stimulating work in textile mills in the north as well as providing income that could be taxed and used on the federal government. The conflict of the civil war also had its roots in the cultural values of the two groups. The culture of the north had a progressive attitude whereas the south had a more traditional way of life. These combined with political conflicts such as the Missouri Compromise lead to the civil war. Works Cited Goldfield, David. Still Fighting the Civil War: The American South and Southern History. New York, NY: Pennsylvania Publishing, 2002. Print. Hickey, Nancy. "The Nullification Process." N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jul 2011. . "The Missouri Compromise "A Balance of Power" March 3, 1820." Secession Crisis. Kentucky Southern Party, n.d. Web. 31 Jul 2011. . United States. 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