“slavery was a big factor in holding the South back. It stifled innovation, did not allow for free market of labor, slaves did not earn wages therefore their labor did not result in increased commercial / economic activity, “
Wow this history is so bad it makes you wince like listening to nails on chalkboard
That was my rebuttal to Bill Nye’s bogus assertion, and it was entirely factual. The South was held back economically by its practice of slavery. Look it up.