How can political and economic conflict lead to sectionalism?

In the days leading up to the Civil W President Abraham Lincoln is now quoted as a  saying ” A house divided against itself cannot stand.” What did he mean by this???Clearly he was saying that the United States of America had to remain just that, united. In order to continue to exist as a nation we had to truly be unified. What Lincoln was reacting to were the many conflicts that were dividing this great nation. We call these divisions sectionlism...hope this helps:) 

In the case of the American Civil War, the north had more diversified industry, whereas most of the south relied on agriculture, specifically cotton. The south's main trading partner was England and they hoped that they would assist in the war against the north. However, England pulled away and found cotton elsewhere.