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As I understand it in OTL at the time of independence and of the adoption of the Constitution most of America's ruling elite accepted that slavery was needed but were rather embarassed about it.

By the 1850s the political leadership of the South were promoting slavery as a 'positive good'. Larger and larger numbers of people in the North rejected it.

I suspect that there was some opposition to slavery in the white South. As I understand the situation it would not have been safe to have tried to distribute a leaflet about the evils of slavery in most of the South by the 1850s.


One of the things that changed the situation was the cotton gin- which made slavery more profitable. Another factor was fear from slave rebellions. (Though the later had happened in the 18th century without having quite the same effect)

I would like to believe (and I may be right) that even in 1860 there were numbers of people in the South who thought A) it is not fair that I have to compete with guys who don't pay wages. B) Slavery is just not really very Christian or good.

In OTL if there were such people at that time mostly they kept quiet- or moved North.

What would it have taken for things to be different?
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