AH Challenge: American Civil War Without Slavery

Philip

Donor
AH Challenge: American Civil War Without Slavery

Here are the requirements:


  1. POD after the ratification of the Constintution of the United States.
  2. ATL American Civil War fought sometime between 1850 and 1870.
  3. *USA and *CSA must consist of roughly the same states as OTL.
  4. Slavery is constitutionally banned in *USA before secession and remains banned in both the *USA and *CSA.
Resentment over the banning of slavery may contribute to the war, but the reinstatement of slavery may not be a goal of the *CSA.
 

Superftagn

Slavery banned sometime while Jefferson was still alive could be possible, I guess.

Dealing with the social problems of relations between whites and freed blacks and the effects on the Southern economy could turn the Civil War into less of Americans pitting their toy soldiers against each other while they ride their white horses and more of a dirty, nasty rebellion with lots of guerrilla warfare. Perhaps the war begins with the Union putting in troops to intervene in a situation of race riots and death-squads down South? There's no pretty formalized Confederacy, instead it's a resistance against federal occupation of Southern cities. Insurgency in the city, guerrillas in the country and the West. No Anaconda Plan stopping black market and covert support shipments of weapons and other materials to the Southern underground and without having to face their own populace about such a covert situation the British delight in getting to quietly fan the fires that are occupying the US.

Have now idea what that kind of situation would turn into and if it could ever be resolved.
 

ninebucks

Banned
There were pro- and anti-slavery factions in the CSA, and there could be in TTL as well. The pro-slavery faction could be influential in arguing for the secession, (along with some anti-slavery allies), but once the CSA is independent, the actual act of reintroducing slavery could prove impossible, (as it probably would be, emancipated Blacks are are never going to accept being demancipated) - not too mention, after a generation or two of Black freedom, that will be the status quo and the conservative political system will be hesitant to change that.
 

MerryPrankster

Slavery was the dominant issue, but IIRC the state of Georgia's declaration of secession complained about the tariff and other issues.

If the Northern-dominated Federal government became more and more protectionist--hurting the export-dominated South big-time--you could have secession based solely on that, if the slaves were freed earlier but the Southern economy remained export-oriented and agrarian overall.
 

stevep

metalstar316 said:
How about if the States of New England break off from the US during the War of 1812?
Click to expand...

metalstar316

Its a possible way that the early US might see a successful split but it fails to meet the conditions in the starting post. It meets 1) and conceivably might trigger 2) but totally breaches 3) and makes 4) even more unlikely.

Steve
 
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