Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices Message Board

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices

Public Reply Prvt Reply Mark as Last Read File

Previous 10 Next 10 Previous Next

To: combjelly who wrote (364578)	12/27/2007 6:13:58 PM
From: TimF	of 1586444

Things had been moving away from slavery being economically viable until the "cotton gin", but that was in the late 1700s. After that I'm not totally certain. Slavery wouldn't work well for a very sophisticated complex modern economy, but you don't have to be all that sophisticated to be viable. Also even to the extent that the institution started to cause net economic harm to southern whites, I'm not sure that they would quickly get rid of it. The plantation class wanted to be "lords of the manor", and a not insignificant amount of the white poor liked having someone to look down on. I think the factors you mention would be very important in eventually getting slaves their freedom, I'm just not so sure it would have happened quickly. If one assumes that you are right and slavery wouldn't have even lasted "a generation or two" but instead ended much sooner, than the "we shouldn't have fought the civil war" argument becomes MUCH stronger, but there is IMO a strong chance you are not right. Also you have all the later effects that having the nation divided would have had. It's possible that it would not have stayed divided or that you would have two nations that where good trading partners, and strong allies, who would help each other through the 20th century, but I have my doubts about those ideas. Of course as you get further away from the war it gets harder and harder to have any confidence about the way things would have worked out. Does make for some interesting fiction though. I've read some Turtledove on the topic. Not en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org but en.wikipedia.org

Report TOU Violation

Share This Post

Public Reply Prvt Reply Mark as Last Read File

Previous 10 Next 10 Previous Next