The period from 1820 to 1850 was a time in which many important and diverse events occurred in American history. This period was a time of extreme reform. During this period there were many conflicts that brought about great changes. Such conflicts include Gibbons vs. Ogden, Erie Canal, American Temperance Society, David Walker Appeal, Anti-Slavery Society, Sack of Lawrence, and Dred Scott Decision. All of these events had one goal: to make society a better place for everyone, both North and South. In the lives of three people: a free black man, an enslaved woman, and a middle-class white woman, none of them had truly freedom and rights unlike today. If a middle-class white woman was married, her life was controlled by her husband. He had no property rights and could not vote. The free black man could own property and vote in many states outside the South. The slave had no rights. Her "master" could rape her and there was nothing she could do about it. The economies of each region (North and South) at the time were similar only in the way they expanded and grew stronger. One way in which the two regions differed in economic terms was in the basis of the economy. For example, the Southern economy was based on cotton cultivation, while the Northern economy was based on manufacturing. Since the South did not produce goods, it was forced to purchase finished products from the North, thus contributing to the North's economy. With Southern money they would purchase cotton from Southern states. Additionally, in the South, there were few job opportunities for whites as slaves had field work, unlike in the North where factory jobs for unskilled workers abounded. Many......middle of paper......done today. The period between 1820 and 1850 was an interlude of great reforms. The conflicts discussed in this phase were crucial in developments, such as the development of the Democratic political party led by Andrew Jackson in 1832 and the Whig Party in 1836 which showed resistance to Andrew Jackson's ideas. Even though the era featured opposition from both parties, their ultimate goal was to make society a better place for citizens, which ultimately occurred. Works Cited • Boyer, Paul S. “Chapter 14: From Compromise to Compromise “Secession.” The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. 412-42. Print.• Harding, Vincent . 1981, There's a River: The Black Struggle for Freedom in America. Period Books• Nichols, Alice. "Bloody Kansas.", 1954.