The Great American Conflict of Interests

A detailed Summary of The Great American Conflict of Interests

The Great American Conflict of Interests

What developed into the civil war between the North and South originated from geological differences, which led to economic and then moral conflicts of interest. The way in which colonists adapted to their surroundings in the early years of the European settlement of America directly affected the way in which their economies would work, the way their people would live and the moral standards by which they would live by. The War Between the States did not just suddenly occur but rather it took nearly two centuries of developmental differences to finally set it off.

When the Europeans began to settle the South in the mid 1600’s they took notice of how different the land was from the land in the North. The South was an ideal environment for growing crops. Certain colonies primarily grew one type of plant called a cash crop. Thousands of acres of land spread across the continent full of untapped natural resources. Colonies such as Virginia and Maryland “had found a cash crop in tobacco” (Americans 38). While South Carolina had grown indigo and rice as their staple crops, the people of North Carolina, used the “principal exports of wood and wood by-products fr

The Northern Colonies had been founded in areas such as Jamestown and Plymouth where seaports and cities developed. Skilled labor could easily be found in such cities and slavery was not very necessary to the success of the North’s economy. Unlike the South the North was not ideal for growing cash crops and owning large plantations. The North did have its share of farms and in fact, in the early days, most northerners were farmers. However, the farms were nowhere near as large as plantations and these farms were not entirely self-reliant. Other forms of income were used and trade was probably the most important one. Sea captains sold “guns, tools, nails, glass bottles, and kitchen utensils” (Americans 46) after first acquiring them from England. Later on though “artisans of New England began to manufacture some of these goods” (Americans 46). Shipbuilding was one of the North’s, particularly New England’s, principle skills. T!

he boats would venture to England, and other colonies, for trade, to Europe for immigrants and laborers, as well as to Africa for slaves. The 1700’s were the time when the differences between the North and South began to take shape. The land in the North was quite abundant but most people chose to stay close to the coast because of the spawning opportunities and jobs available to those involved with shipbuilding, sea trade, merchandising imported goods, sail making, rope making and other such ways of earning a living. Near the seaports people could purchase goods such as “bells, buckles, brass buttons, books, copper kettles, music boxes, iron nails, and steal knives” (Americans 48). The environment that the North’

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Approximate Word count = 1164
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History