The Morrill Tariff Caused the Perfect Storm for Economic Disaster in the North by Gene Kizer, Jr. Secession cost the North its Southern manufacturing market. The Morrill Tariff threatened to cost the North its shipping industry as U.S. trade was immediately rerouted away from the high-tariff North and into Southern ports where protective tariffs were unconstitutional. (This post is Chapter Six of my book, Slavery Was Not the Cause of the War Between the States, The Irrefutable Argument., available on this website) Contrast the North and South. Virginia Governor John Letcher was thrilled about the future of Virginia out of the Union. He had told the House of Delegates three months earlier that “We have the best port in the country; . . . if direct … Continue reading The Morrill Tariff Caused the Perfect Storm for Economic Disaster in the North