A country's population does not always agree on national policies; such was the case after the American Revolution. At the beginning of the so-called antebellum period, the American nation was divided into North and South by many issues, but mostly by economic issues resulting from Western expansion and slavery. While the North had abolished slavery, the South insisted on slavery to grow its cash crops, especially cotton. The South had religious and racial justifications for the institution of slavery and even went so far as to proclaim that slavery was for the benefit of the slave. The North, however, motivated by the second Great Awakening, had women and the abolitionist movement that viewed slavery as an evil and an institution that needed to be abolished. The Great North-South Divide had been set in motion. One of the other issues that brought America to a great divide was the debate over who would control the western territory that the Americans were colonizing. This particular issue was important because of the difference in the economic policies of the North and the South. While the North supported policies that promoted domestic production over importation, the South nevertheless supported policies that encouraged trade in cotton with other countries and policies that if they only encouraged domestic production they would hinder it. In addition to the power struggle, the North and South disagreed over the controversial issue of slavery. The period of antebellum slavery was characterized by black freedmen from the North and slaves from the South who worked in harsh conditions for the few elite cotton planters. While freedmen did indeed have their freedom, they were equally subject to white racism. Cotton production was booming in the South, and ... middle of paper ... anti-slavery propaganda inspired and founded the American Anti-Slavery Society. Their argument against slavery was that Christianity promoted morality and goodwill towards others and therefore God could not support such an institution. “Slavery is a heinous crime in the sight of God, and the duty, safety, and interests of all concerned require its immediate abandonment” (Tindall, Shi 544). Furthermore, the North argued that the Constitution guaranteed human rights and therefore the institution of slavery that treated people as property was a violation of the Constitution. Works Cited Fitzhugh, George. "The Blessings of Slavery" exp. Sociology for the South, or the failure of the free society. A. Morris: Richmond, VA 1857. Tindall, George and David Shi. America: A Narrative History. Ed. 9, Vol. 1 New York: WW. Norton & Company, 2013. 544. Print.