The Transportation Revolution and Antebellum Sectional Disagreement

The transportation revolution had several important effects on the antebellum political equilibrium. First, it caused western and southern political views to differ by bringing more easterners and European immigrants into the West. Second, it reduced the costs of rerouting western exports to the non...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSocial science history Vol. 35; no. 1; p. 19
Main Author Binder, John J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Durham Cambridge University Press 01.04.2011
Subjects
Antebellum period
Civil war
Conflict
Costs
Equilibrium
European cultural groups
Expected utility
Hypotheses
Immigrants
Legislatures
Political parties
Science history
Secession
Slavery
Social sciences
Transportation
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Summary:The transportation revolution had several important effects on the antebellum political equilibrium. First, it caused western and southern political views to differ by bringing more easterners and European immigrants into the West. Second, it reduced the costs of rerouting western exports to the non-South, which decreased the expected costs to the West of conflict with the South. Third, it greatly increased western population, which brought more free states into the Union and changed the balance in the Senate. Fourth, it increased northern numerical superiority over the South, giving the North a major advantage if an armed conflict did occur. These changes led the West to ally with the East and caused the South to secede.
ISSN:0145-5532
1527-8034
DOI:10.1017/S0145553200014176