During the pre-civil war period, the American nation was dividing in many aspects. It was dividing economically, the south being much more reliant on agriculture. It was dividing politically in that Southerners wouldn't even put northern candidates on the ballot. But above all it was dividing morally and socially. Most northerners thought slavery was against their religion and sought to abolish it. On the other hand, the southern economy was almost entirely based on slavery. Other differences separating these 2 different regions include a higher northern population, bigger and more industrialized cities in the north, a more equal distribution of wealth in the north, opposed to the south's extremely rich, but few, plantation owners, and many other differences. So instead of being loyal to one country, the nation was split between regions causing sectionalism. Because of this, many states, predominately southern states, started believing that the needs of a state should come before the needs of a nation, an idea called states rights. So when congress approved a high tax on imported goods, South Carolina nullified it, they basically refused the tax. This caused the president to send troops to South Carolina to reinforce the tax. War almost broke out, but it showed southerners that they couldn't do what they wanted.
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