What caused sectionalism in the nineteenth century? What are some results of sectionalism?

There
were a number of causes of sectionalism in nineteenth-century America, but by far the biggest
was the vexed issue of slavery. To the vast majority of Southern whites, slavery was the
foundation of their economy, their societyindeed, their whole way of life. The very notion of
abolishing slavery was simply too horrible for them to contemplate.

In the
North and Midwest, however, it was a different story. Most people in these parts of the United
States believed that slavery was a cruel and barbaric institution that should never have existed
in the first place. Although many of such people didn't advocate the outright abolition of
slavery, they did argue that slavery was a moral abomination that had no place in civilized
society.

A number of political comprises were made in the nineteenth century
to try and reduce tensions between different parts of the country over the issue of slavery. But
in the long run, all they did was to kick the can further down the road and postpone dealing
with the issue head-on. Soon it became depressingly clear that the only way that the vexed
question of slavery, and many of the other political and cultural issues that divided the
nation, could be resolved was via armed conflict.