Liminal
Gold Member
Social momentum is worth jack shit when so much money is involved. The total value of the slaves was more than all the banks, factories and railroads in the entire country.That's all very interesting I'm sure, but how exactly would slavery have ended? ...See if you can imagine the political deadlock if secession had never happened. Slavery would very likely have continued well into the 20th century.It's one America great historical 'what if's' but I am still not convinced they would have sided with the Confederacy. The Union made it quite plain that recognizing them diplomatically meant war. England and France were more concerned about expanding their empires and markets in Latin America. The public opinion in both nations were spilt but more so in France b/c the 'cotton famine' greatly harmed them economically.
England had more need of cotton, but the unbelievably stupid idea the confederate traitors had to burn their cotton crop failed miserably. England turned to Brazil, Egypt, and India to make up the supply. The cotton market was never the same again after the war.
Western expansion and spreading abolitionism would have put that incredibly stupid, immoral, and counter-productive 'institution' out of business sooner or later.
The way the small number of Southerners who owned significant numbers of slaves feared: Congressional representation and social momentum.