In 1861, the Southern states seceded from the Union. This was due to a series of conflicts and events that were so influential that they divided a once great nation. These events ignited the most gruesome war on American soil. The total number of lives lost was 622,000. This devastation, contrary to popular belief, was not solely caused by the issue of slavery, but a combination of factors including: the growing prohibition of slavery in the United States and the contrasting views of whether or not the government power rested with the states or the Federal Government. The economic differences between the two sides originated in 1793 when Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. The cotton gin helped to increase the cotton production in the United States drastically. This increase in production influenced the beginning of a change to the way America was perceived throughout the world. The cotton demand in other parts of the world, specifically England, made the Cotton Gin important to the south. Large plantation owners brought this invention to their farm. Before this invention farms were only able to produce 50 pounds of cotton in 50 days. With the new invention, slaves were able to produce on average 50 pounds of cotton per day. By the south being able to produce an abundance of cotton, they now needed the man power. Slave labor increased from 700,000 in 1790 to 4 million in 1860. This growth shows that the South was dependent on slave labor. 1 The south was dependent on slave labor but they were not the only ones. The south gained profits through selling the vast amounts of cotton. The production of the cotton allowed plantation owners to invest profits in northern textile mills and other industrial technology. So as the North grew in size and the South’s profit grew larger and larger, America became an economic super power. However, as more and more slaves became bound to Southern farmers, the abolitionist groups grew. By 1804 all northern states had abolished slavery. As views changed, the tension grew. As time went on, the south believed that the nation’s economy depended on their success but the North believed that slaves were not needed for the nation’s economic success. The south began to bui