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North and South Divide: Attitudes + Lifestyle - Coggle Diagram
North and South Divide: Attitudes + Lifestyle
Education and Literacy
NORTH
Vast newspaper reading public- better communication
About 4/5 of the North could read and write
Believed education meant wealth- viewed South as poor due to this
SOUTH
Nearly 1/2 of South were illiterate
Only a 1/3 of Southern children went to school
Weak commitment to education- struggled to compete with North
All education professionals came from the North such as professors and lawyers
Feared if slaves became literate, they would become intelligent- particularly feared communication and rebellion
Countryside Vs Town
NORTH
9/10 of South lived in the countryside compared to only a 1/4 of the North
Growing cities served as centres for trade and industry
Networks of railways and canals allowed for faster and cheaper transportation of goods and people- encouraged growth of cities
SOUTH
Dreamt of the plantation life- life of leisure and decadence
Most Southerners were small yeoman farmers or wealthy slave owners
Depended on the growth of crops (particularly cotton)
Religion
SOUTH
Embraced new religious revival
Disliked changes revival bought about
Justified slavery through Bible passages which gave right to have servants
Claimed benefits for slave owner outweighed harm caused to enslaved
Slaves were tkane care of by owners as 'part of their family'
NORTH
Began to see slavery as America's biggest sin- responsibility of all Americans
Religious messages were spread through pamphlets- only accessible to literate population
Religious revival formed education, politics and 'isms'
Transcendentalism
- ideas of nature, individuality and morality
'Isms'
NORTH
Religious reform shaped North
Women took greater interest in politics-
20,000 women signed an abolitionist petition in 1838
Vegetarianism- encouraged purity -
Vegetarian Society (New York Society in 1850)
Campaigns to remove mentally ill from jail and provide them with care-
Dix, Massachusetts
SOUTH
Hierarchical and patriarchal society which reform for women challenged
Racism- wanted to remove Native American societies which provided land for plantations expansion
Believed crime should be met with punishment regardless of prisoners mental state
Disliked vegetarianism- prioritised agriculture and tradition
Modernisation
NORTH
Extreme economic development
Believed economic progress was a measure of moral worth
Technological progress- machinery improved
Wanted America to set an international example to rest of the world- progressive for their time
Most inventors from the North-
Elias Howe (sewing machine)
SOUTH
Slavery- seen to hinder progress in South
Southern economy grew but didn't develop
Little manufacturing in South- no inventions or improved machinery-
Eli Whitney from North- cotton gin
Valued tradition and stability
Both saw America as progressive and a modern nation
Both majority farmers
Shared memories of War of Independence