While slavery existed in both the North and the South in the early years of the United States, its impact and significance varied greatly between the two regions. Southerners, whose economy was heavily dependent on agriculture, relied heavily on enslaved labor to work their plantations and farms.
Enslaved individuals were considered property and were denied fundamental rights and freedoms. The Northern states, on the other hand, began to gradually move towards abolition over time, influenced by economic restructuring, religious movements, and a growing emphasis on individual liberty and human rights.
As the United States expanded westward in the early 19th century, slavery became intertwined with territorial policies and political power. The Northern and Southern states had different perspectives on whether new territories should allow or prohibit slavery.
This issue was highly contentious and contributed to significant political debates about the balance of power between free and slave states, federal authority, and states' rights.
The differences ultimately led to tensions and divisions between the North and the South, culminating in a series of sectional crises and eventually the American Civil War in 1861.