Could It Happen Again?

During the first episode of the documentary, the narrator said that the Civil War was tearing in half a nation which couldn't imagine it today. So I asked myself, "Could it happen again?" But in all honesty, I can't see how that it possible. In the years leading up to the Civil War, the North and South gradually became almost completely separate entities in all but name. The industries were heavily based on location; you could not be a successful cotton plantation owner with slaves in the north. Today, industry is less dependent on location, and the separate industries are more connected than before the Civil War. Another key aspect was the disunity between the people of the North and South. Before the Civil War, it was likely that you wouldn't communicate with anyone outside of a twenty mile radius on a regular basis; Northerners were almost completely detached from Southerners socially. In contrast, today, twenty miles is nothing, and we can easily communicate with people on the other side of the globe, let alone within our own country. Finally, I think that the South still held the idea that states had more power than did the federal government. Many still referred to themselves as Virginians or Georgians. In contrast to today, we rarely think of ourselves as Missourians before Americans. Are idea of national unity is more firmly cemented in our minds.