[pest]

Here is my take Ed.

Slavery fueled an agricultural based economy in the south. The weath of America was based in the industrial North. That industry was built on the backs of irish and italian immigrants (among others) that were treated only slightly better than slaves.

Americas rise to a superpower was cemented by WWII and fueled by an economy that was forced to expand by the war and fed by a country with a vast land mass rich in natural resources.

Yes, slaves fueled a southern economy, but that economy was small in comparision to the north. The end of slavery crushed teh economy of the south, yet the north continued as always. That tells me that slavery was not the force behind the rise of a nation. It was only barely economically viable before the cival war.

No, Ed. You are not the only person here to have ever read a book.