The Civil War was mainly fought over cotton...granted slavery was a part of the wedge put forth by Northerner’s ...the competition from the industrializing North with all the new immigrants were competing against the Southern states who had a great product in huge demand which at one point was more than a 5th of our nation’s GDP at the time. I am in the middle of reading a book on this very topic printed in 1960 . It is highly illustrated along with concise and factual text that seems to be without any bias either way. It is “The American Heritage picture history of The American Civil War” I would recommend this for grandchildren “IF” they are even taught this in school anymore.
Thanks for the book recommendation. My grandsons are being raised free of any guilt; white, southern, or any other. It is this false guilt that pol’s use to manipulate the uninformed.
My father gave me that book as a gift in the early ‘60s. The text is by Bruce Catton. I have poured over it many times. Is the version that you are looking at the original huge hardcover that has the jacket with the crossed flags of the North and South? Mine is still in its original jacket and on my top shelf.