In the early 1800’s, the North and the South grew in different ways. Northern cities were centers of wealth and manufacturing. There were many skilled workers in the North, and many places utilized poor immigrant workers for labor. In the South, most of the people were farmers. Money came from plantation crops like cotton, rice, sugar cane, and tobacco. Slaves did most of the work on the Southern plantations.

Each part of the country had advantages that helped during the war. They had a bigger army, including thousands of black soldiers. As the producer of three-fourths of the nation’s wealth, the North also had better equipment and supplies to fight the war. The South had some advantages, too. Most of the war was fought in the South, so soldiers did not have to travel so far and were more rested. The South also had more experienced generals like Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

 

(Adapted from source)