The Differences between North and South
Constitutional Differences
Description
The North and South also disagreed over the Constitution. When it came to making laws, who had the final say? Could the Federal government force the states to do something they didn’t want to do, such as end slavery?
The North believed that the power of the Federal government was supreme. Many Northerners agreed with Lincoln's statement below:
In the above quote, Lincoln is telling the nation that all states have to follow Federal laws. Southerners worried that Lincoln was going to destroy slavery and the Southern way of life along with it.
The South believed that the states could limit the power of the Federal government and even ignore Federal laws. They called this States’ Rights.
The broadside seen above let people know which candidates supported State's Rights. It served the same purpose that political commercials on TV do today.
Let’s investigate the issue of State’s Rights a little further…
What's next?
To learn more about the States' Rights, click this link: Focus on States' Rights