Following the antebellum period, the United States entered into a period of strong sectionalism. A majority of the North, with an industrial economy, felt that slavery, one of the most controversial issues of the time, should be abolished. The South, however, relied on vast numbers of cheap labor to support their agricultural economy. This labor was provided by slavery, which led the South to desire slavery to continue. These conflicting opinions led to debates, the …showed first 75 words of 442 total…

…showed last 75 words of 442 total…of disunion and the Civil War. Slavery and many less important factors led to disunion and the Civil war. The period's most controversial issue, nothing could stop it from gaining national attention and causing vast dispute between the industrial North and agricultural South. This dispute could only be solved temporarily by compromise without one side being forced to give in. This resulted in the issue over slavery becoming the main cause of the Civil War.