What did the south fear would happen if the north had an increase number of representatives in the House of Representatives

The balance in the House of Representatives was necessary and very important for the peace between the North and the South. If there were a tip in the balance, that means they had the upper hand on passing laws, taxes, legislative power, and really anything else that is important to economy and daily living.

The Southern states were scared that if there were a tip in balance within the House of Representatives, favoring the North, it would be catastrophic for them.

The North at this time was very known for industrialization, while the South was known for agricultural purposes. The South would grow crop like cotton, tobacco, and even indigo and ship it over to England for profit. If the House of Representatives balance was favored to the North, the South may have had to send their crop to the industries in the North for less profit, then the North would send that crop to England. This would obviously make it so the South had less money, while the North had more.

Along with this, if the North had an increase of representatives in the House of Representatives, the South was nervous they would try to pass anti-slavery laws. The South heavily relied on slavery on plantations, which was the main source of income for them. They were not industrialized like the North and this was definitely their main source of income, so they relied on slaves to tend to the crop. If the House of Representatives passed a law that would forbid this, it would have hurt the Southern states drastically, along with the citizens and the economy.