Karl Kössler
This article seeks to explore to what extent and how the North-South conflict in the United States and attempts at its resolution have interacted with the evolution of American federalism. It starts with a brief overview of how this conflict came into being and a mapping of the most relevant actors involved. The chapter then goes on to analyze how Northern and Southern views on federalism clashed at three critical junctures in US history: 1787, the antebellum period and the postbellum era. This is followed by as assessment of federalism’s effects on conflict resolution since the 20th century. After an analysis of the rise of centralized federalism during the “second reconstruction”, the article explores how North-South conflicts were solved in the circumstances of this specific type of federalism in both the political and judicial arenas. It ends with conclusions and reflections on the implications of the North-South conflict for American federalism today.
