“Money earned from exports can be used to buy locally produced products. It simply can.”
That is an interesting comment.
Question: When the South sent wealth - in the form of cotton - overseas, how was wealth repatriated back to the South?
Or, is it your contention the South just sent wealth overseas year after year and never expected anything in return?
So, is it your contention the South did not get paid for the cotton and other goods they exported?
Why would sellers of southern cotton sell it without being paid for it?
I hate to be persistent but - when the South sent wealth in the form of cotton overseas, how was wealth repatriated back to the South?