What economic system was prominent in the North during the 19th century?

The prominent economic system in the North during the 19th century was industrial capitalism. This system marked a significant shift from agrarian economies to ones focused on manufacturing and industry. The North experienced a profound transformation due to the Industrial Revolution, which brought about the development of factories and increased production capabilities.

This industrialization facilitated greater efficiencies, innovations, and the growth of cities as economic hubs. It encouraged capital investment in machinery and infrastructure, leading to the rise of a wage labor force, which distinguished the Northern economy from the agrarian, slave-dependent economy of the South. The rise of industrial capitalism also fostered urbanization, with many individuals moving to cities for employment opportunities in factories and industries that were at the heart of the Northern economy during this period.

In contrast to the other economic systems listed: agricultural socialism was not a prevalent system in the 19th-century North, as it emphasizes collective ownership rather than individual capitalism; mercantilism, which focuses on trade and accumulation of wealth through colonies and a favorable balance of trade, was more characteristic of earlier periods; and feudalism, marked by serfdom and land ownership by nobles, was never a defining structure in the United States, particularly in the dynamic industrial context of the North.