Sectional Conflicts

Definition

Sectional conflicts refer to the deep divisions and tensions between different regions of the United States, particularly between the North and South. These conflicts were primarily rooted in disagreements over issues such as slavery, tariffs, and states' rights.

Related terms

Missouri Compromise: An agreement reached in 1820 to maintain an equal balance of power between free states and slave states by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

Compromise of 1850: A series of laws aimed at resolving disputes over slavery, including the admission of California as a free state and the implementation of stricter fugitive slave laws.

Kansas-Nebraska Act: Passed in 1854, this act allowed residents of Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide whether to allow slavery through popular sovereignty. This decision further intensified sectional conflicts leading to violence in these regions.