[Troubleshooter]

Originally posted by Beestie
No, I'm not joking. I was looking at the entire history of the US. My point was that, absent slavery, America would be no worse off today. The South didn't exactly fall off the map after 1865. One could even argue that, in the long run, slavery actually depressed the long-term economic position of the South.

Actually non-diversification of the manufacturing base is what depressed the south, and in some ways ended the civil war. Also not taking advantage of manufacturing innovation played a role as well.