As a result of the abolitionist movement and fierce rivalry between Northern and Southern politicians about the topic of slavery, the counterparts felt begrudged in opposition to each other. In 1859, as a response to the Dred Scott Decision, a man named John Brown and 21 other abolitionists attacked Harper's Ferry, an arsenal in the South, trying to capture it and further the anti-slavery movement. Although this raid put down, by the federal government, it led to stronger fierceness between Slave-holders in the South and anti-slavery groups in the North. Another fact contrasting the North and South was the resident's different lifestyles and economies. The North consisted of many businesses, industries, and manufacturers. The South in contrast, consisted of almost all farmers: Slaveholding Elite, yeoman farmers, and cash-crop farmers. Southern states held a political view where they felt the state governments should hold more power than the federal government. Whereas, most of the Northern states believed a strong central government was essential to a prosperous nation. Furthermore, the U.S. had a system where the Southern farmers would sell material goods to the North to be manufactured. However, after the fierce rivalry came into full swing by the late 1850s, the South wanted to discontinue reliance on the North for manufacturing their goods. Confederate President Jefferson Davis pushed the South into industrialization during the war, because he knew the South needed to become independent and centralized against the Union. Since the North had become extremely efficient at manufacturing, when the South seceded, Northern business was disrupted. Therefore, all the Northern business people desired to keep the Southern businesses intact for their own benefit. .
The reasons why the North wanted to preserve the Union and enter into the Civil War are extremely complex. One must understand the economy, religious activity, politics, and immigrations to fully comprehend the North's reasons for the war.
