The mid-19th century in the United States was marked by a rising tide of tension, as differing economic systems, social beliefs, and political ideologies between the North and the South brought the nation to the brink of the Civil War. The North s economy was rapidly industrializing, while the South remained a predominantly agrarian society, relying heavily on slave labor for its cotton production. This difference led to contrasting views on slavery. The industrial North, favoring wage labor, increasingly saw slavery as morally wrong, while the South defended it as a necessity for their economic survival. Political battles further exacerbated these tensions. The Missouri Compromise of 1820, which maintained a balance between slave and free states, was effectively nullified by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, allowing these territories to decide the fate of slavery themselves. This led to violent confrontations, aptly known as "Bleeding Kansas." The election of Abraham Lincoln, an avowed opponent of slavery s expansion, as President in 1860, was seen by many Southern states as a direct threat. This eventually led to the secession of South Carolina, followed by six other Southern states, from the Union, triggering what would become the American Civil War. The tensions that led to the Civil War were a complex intertwining of economic, social, and political factors — a testament to the challenges of a diverse, rapidly changing nation struggling to uphold its core values of liberty and unity.