By 1860, the United States was so divided over the issue of slavery.
The North and South had become increasingly polarized over the question of whether or not slavery should be allowed to expand into new territories and states. This division led to the formation of two distinct regions with vastly different economic, social, and political systems. The North was predominantly industrial and urban, with a growing population of free laborers, while the South was primarily agricultural and rural, dependent on slave labor to cultivate its crops. The tensions over slavery ultimately led to the secession of eleven southern states and the formation of the Confederate States of America, sparking the American Civil War.