It can certainly be argued that it was the issue of slavery that drew the line between North and South in the eyes of many. The tropical climate of the South meant slaves were economically viable in the large-scale production of cotton, linen and tobacco. This meant the slave population was concentrated in the lower South, which contained 59% of slaves in 1860. Although there were slaves in the North, their relative numbers were so few it …showed first 75 words of 1492 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1492 total…also marked the failure of a compromise solution to hold the Union together. Popular sovereignty, the moderate Democrats meticulous solution to the matter, had failed both the North and the South and had only delayed the eventual conflict. Sectionalism, economic questions, political mishaps, and the growing aggravation of morality over the slave issue had finally pushed the North and South to a point at which they could no longer see unity as a viable option.