The War of Secession or the American Civil War highlighted the diverse realities existing in the heart of the country. In the second half of the nineteenth century the United States was a country economically and socially divided in two.
On the one hand we find the northern states, which were experiencing an important industrial development. To consolidate their wealth, they demanded protectionist tariff policies from Congress. Slavery had no meaning in this developed area and was viewed with suspicion by the majority of the population.