10.1 chapter of U.S. history covers the deepening divide between the North and South leading up to the Civil War, highlighting cultural, economic, and political differences centered primarily around slavery. Northern opposition to slavery grew, fueled by religious and moral arguments, as well as influential works like Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which exposed slavery’s cruelties and influenced public opinion. Southern defenders of slavery countered by portraying it as a benevolent institution in contrast to the harsh conditions of Northern industrial workers. Economically, the North rapidly industrialized with a booming railroad network, telegraph communication, and growing cities, while the South remained largely agricultural and reliant on slavery, especially for cotton production. These contrasting regional developments and competing visions for America’s future intensified tensions that made conflict increasingly inevitable.