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Life in the USA Land, History and Language American History
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Sectional Divisions
Even before the new nation took its form as a constitutional republic in 1787, the northern and southern segments of the country started moving in different directions. The North was mainly free labor and industrial, the South slave labor and agricultural. In 1849, the United States nearly doubled its size by defeating neighboring Mexico and annexing vast territories to the west. Northerners and Southerners began to argue about whether slavery would be extended into the new western territories. But slavery was not the only issue dividing the country. The agricultural South also objected to a strong protectionist tariff, which meant they had to buy expensive manufactured goods from the North, instead of cheap goods from other countries.
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