And you are right, many South hating Northern newspapers did say good riddance when the South left, until they realized that without Southern cotton and agricultural goods, their textile economy dried up. Economics, economics, economics.
How? What imported good were the south buying in such quantity?
Also, the majority of the tax money was being spent up North, so it is understandable that many Southerners were miffed about it.
Again, how? What was the money being spent on?
Here's the federal government's expenditures for 1856, which I think we can take as a typical immediately-antebellum year. Show me which expenditures are disproportionately benefiting the north?
Compensation and mileage of Senators. ....$108,872.00
Compensation and mileage of Representatives and Delegates ...$365,048.00
Additional, allowed under increased compensation .....$773,500.00
Contingent expenses of the Senate.. ....$168,460.00
Compensation of officers and employees of House of Representatives ....$76,646.00
Contingent expenses of House of Representatives, viz: Binding Documents. ....$125,000.00
Furniture, repairs, and stationery. ....$15,000.00
Horses, carriages, fuel, and lights. ....$6,900.00
Newspapers for members.. ....$12,500.00
Engraving and lithographing ....$125,000.00
Police and miscellaneous items. ....$40,700.00
Pages, laborers, folders, &c ...$26,632.00
For Congressional Globe and appendix ....$34,704.00
Binding same… ....$16,657.00
Reporting debates, first session.. ....$21,000.00
....$424,093.00
For Library Congress and Superintendent of Printing.. ....$30,750.00
Paper required for Printing during second session. ....$156,408.00
Printing for the second session, Thirty-Fourth Congress.. ....$115,000.00
Compensation of the President of the United States. ....$25,000.00
Compensation of the Vice President-balance. ....$2,622.00
Compensation of Secretary to sign patents. ...$1,500.00
Compensation of Secretary of State and employees.. ....$51,000.00
Publishing the laws of Congress… ....$47,301.00
Contingent expenses of State Department. ....$34,500.00
Compensation of the Secretary of the Treasury, assistants and em ployees. ....$615,340.00
Contingent expenses of Treasury Department ....$78,409.00
Compensation of the Secretary of the Interior, commissioners and em ployees. ....$314,390.00
Contingent expenses of Interior Department ....$133,230.00
Surveyors of Public Lands and their clerks. ....$130,151.00
Compensation of the Secretary of War, clerks and employees ....$106,300.00
Contingent expense of the War Department.. ...$26,160.00
Compensation of the Secretary of the Navy, clerks and employees. ....$97,540.00
Contingent expenses of the lNavy Department.. ...$12,565.00
Compensation of the Postmaster-General, clerks and employees ....$158,840.00
Contingent expenses of Post Office Department.. ....$159,000.00
Expenses of Mint at Philadelphia… ....$177,200.00
Expenses of Mint at New Orleans. .....$63,200.00
Expenses of Mint at Charlotte, North Carolina.. ....$11,600.00
Expenses of Mint at Dahlonega, Georgia ....$10,880.00
Expenses of Mint at San Francisco.. ....$277,300.00
Expenses of Mint at New York Assay Office ....$62,200.00
For Territorial Government-Oregon ....$34,000.00
For Territorial Government-Minnessota .....$30,300.00
APPROPRIATIONS BY CONGRESS.
For Territorial Government-New Mexico. ....$3,400.00
For Territorial Government-Utah. ....$8,300.00
For Territorial Government-Washington. ....$34,000.00
For Territorial Government-Nebraska.. .....$31,500.00
For Territorial Government-Kansas. ....$32,000.00
Compensation of Supreme Court and District Judges. ....$167,000.00
Compensation of Attorney General and D)istrict Attorneys. ....$54,000.00
Support of the Court of Claims.. ....$30,000.00
Support of the Independent Treasury… ....$151,000.00
Support of the present land system… ...$253,000.00
Support of the District Peuitentiary...… ....$23,316.00
For defraying the expenses of the United States Courts. ....$800,000.00
Contingent expenses of Surveyors General.… ...$7,000.00
Contingent expenses of Public Grounds ill Washington. ...$41,226.00
For the support of the Army Army proper. ....$10,568,249.00
Armories, Arsenals, and Munitions of War. ...$985,049.00
Military Academy ....$173,891.00
Fortifications and other works of defence.. ...$1,746,400.00
Surveys, &c. ...$135,000.00
Miscellaneous objects. ....$1,400,000.00
Arrearages. ...$2,000.00
For the support of the Navy Navy proper ...$9,142,418.00
Marine corps. ...$851,113.00
Special objects. ...$4,530,974.00
Surveys of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. ...$250,000.00
Survey of the Western Coasts of the United States ....$130,000.00
Support of the Light House establishment... ..$1,300,959.00
To supply a deficiency in Post Office Department. ....$2,250,000.00
Intercourse with foreign nations. ...$936,862.00
For the payment of pensions. ..$1,458,947.00
For lighting the President's house and public grounds. ....$27,000.00
Continuation of public buildings in Washington. ....$450,000.00
For Indian annuities ...$1,385,276.00
To collect agricultural seeds and statistics ...$75,000.00
For the payment of certain per centage to States. ...$256,000.00
Repayment for land erroneously sold… ....$63,000.00
Marine Hospital fund.. ....$150,000.00
For the payment of debentures, drawbacks, and bounties ....$500,000.00
Repayment to importers the excess of duties collecte ....$1,050,000.00
Expenses of collecting revenue from customs. ....$2,450,000.00
Expenses of Smithsonian Institute. .....$30,910.00
Expenses of mail transportation for the several departments.. ...$200,000.00
Expenses of mail transportation for the two Houses of Congress. ....$500,000.00
For arming and equipping the militia. ....$200,000.00
For civilising Indians under the act of March 3, 1849. ....$10,000.00
For interest on the public debt. ...$2,230,000.00
For ocean mail steamer service. ....$2,113,500.00
For general mail transportations. ....$6,140,000.00
Compensation of postmasters. ....$2,150,000.00
For ship, steamboat, and way letters.. ....$20,000.00
Compensation of clerks in post offices, and contingencies. ....$1,329,300.00
For Capitol extensions until 4th March next. 750,000.00
For new dome on Capitol.. ....$100,000.00
Total. ......$$63,640,023.00