[stand watie]

my GUESS (based on a great deal of reading) is that slavery would have died a natural/UNlamented death within a decade or LESS.

inasmuch as a LARGE percentage of the MILLION Americans KILLED during the war were "persons other than white" (the DY army "freed" many slaves from being ALIVE!), this seems a REALLY high price to pay for 5-10 years of "freedom" for the remaining slaves.

otoh, the war from the dixie view was about FREEDOM;from the unionist side it was about $$$$$$$$ & keeping the south PERMANENTLY subservient to northern commercial/financial/manufacturing/railroad interests.

free dixie,sw

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I think the prime motivation for start of the Civil War was the abolition of slavery on the Northern side, not wanting to be pushed around on the Southern side.

Once the fuse was lit, neither side was capable of backing down. Yes, the Civil War did far more harm than good; the freedom (from the most benign form of slavery in human history) for some was purchased a huge price in blood and treasure. And the effect of reconstruction was to harden attitudes and incite racial animosity.