Quote (Black XistenZ @ Nov 2 2021 07:13pm)
The thing is... didn't the Union win the Civil War predominantly because of its superior economy? I'm far from an expert on the Civil War and its background so correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't all the ostensibly economic disagreements between the North and South in the years leading up to the Civil War (Nullification crisis and such) manifestations of the same simple fact: that the stagnant, labor-intensive, low productivity economy of the South could no longer keep up with the vibrant, rapidly industrializing economy of the North? And industrialization and economic growth in the US picked up pace even more during the post-war years, so at least in economic terms, slavery was only a nuissance by 1900.
Again, maybe I'm horribly mistaken; not an issue on which I can speak with any kind of authority; I'm just wondering how your argument can make sense against this backdrop.
The Civil War was unambiguously about slavery. Other issues are second by a far margin. Prior to the civil war the slave states enjoyed a huge economy that was totally dependent on slavery. They actively bread slaves for sale to and within their states, and they wanted to conquer more territory to expand slave territory, including Mexico and Cuba.
Also, the catalyst for the Civil War was Lincoln's election. Southern states saw Lincoln as a fundamental threat to their right to hold slaves and seceeded before he even took office.
The North had a far more modern economy, but the South wasn't doing poorly, and it isn't a zero sum game. The North can industrialize and the South won't be worse for it. The South also wasn't exactly being left in the dust. They had the capacity to process their crops including cotton into clothing.
Slavery and its aftermath was in no way over by 1900. It continues exerting massive influence to this day, no joke. You can still look at its scars on school districting maps in modern cities, and the KKK was massively powerful until the mid 1900's having something like 20% of all people in the south being members.
I'm not an expert either, but historians are basically unanimous on this one.
This post was edited by NetflixAdaptationWidow on Nov 2 2021 06:22pm