Antebellum – (adj) occurring or existing before a particular war, especially the American Civil War

The historical understanding of antebellum America is heavily colored by the knowledge of the disaster that brought that era of American history to a close: the Civil War.

Antebellum culture in America reflected the growing sectional crisis, at times seeking to pave over sectional differences and at other times making light of them.

Reflects a divisive period in American history known as the Antebellum period. The Antebellum period of the nineteenth century saw an increase in sectional conflict as westward expansion and the launch of capitalism inspired a debate about the social and political conditions in the United States