The Southern and Northern states differed on many issues, which ultimately led them to civil war. There were profound economic, social and political differences between the North and the South. These differences stemmed from both sides' interpretation of the United States Constitution. Ultimately, all of this disagreement over states' rights led to the Civil War. There were reasons other than slavery to explain the South's secession. Manifestations of division in America have been numerous: utopian communities, conflicts over public space, backlash against immigrants, urban riots, black protests and Indian resistance (Norton 234). America was a divided country in need of reform, with the South needing it the most. The South relied heavily on agriculture, unlike the North, which was a highly populated and industrialized society. The South grew cotton, which was its primary cash crop, and many Southerners knew that a heavy reliance on slave labor would ultimately harm the South, but their warnings went unheeded. The South was based on a totalitarian system. Constitutionally, the North favored a flexible interpretation of the United States Constitution and wanted to grant increased powers to the federal government. The South wanted to reserve all undefined powers to the states themselves. The South depended on slave labor for its economic well-being, and the Northern economy neither depended on such labor nor needed this type of service. This main problem overshadowed all others. Southerners compared slavery to the Northern system of wage slavery and believed that their slaves received better care than Northern factory workers received from their employers. Many Southern preachers proclaimed that slavery was sanctioned in the Bible. Southern leaders had constantly tried to search for new areas in which slavery could be expanded (Oates 349). After the American Revolution, slavery began to decline in the North, just as it became more popular in the South. By the turn of the century, seven of the northernmost states had abolished slavery. At that time, a wave of democratic reform was sweeping from the North to the West, and demands for political equality and economic and social progress were felt by all Americans. Northerners said slavery revoked the human right to be a free person and when new territories became available middle of paper......in opinion. We must remember the great sacrifices made by our fellow citizens during this time and appreciate their actions or efforts. Especially that of Abraham Lincoln. The best way to assess Lincoln's worth is to think about what the condition of the American would be today if he had never lived or been president (Whitman 262). Yes, slavery was the cause of the Civil War, half the country. thought it was wrong, and the other half just couldn't let go or move on. The war was fought globally in different places and the monetary and material losses cannot be calculated. Will debates about the causes and consequences of the Civil War, as well as the reasons for the Northern victory, continue as long as there are historians to hold the pen? which is, perhaps even for this bloody conflict, mightier than the sword (Oates 388). The civil war was a great waste in terms of human lives and possible achievements and must be considered shameful. Before its first centenary, a tragedy 388).