Wouldn't Americans be happier today if the South had won the civil war and seceded from the North?

Question

The northern and southern states are divided on countless political issues, from presidential choice to immigration policy to the situation in Iraq. Wouldn't having the United States and Confederate States as as allied yet independent countries solve a ton of problems? It's very likely that slavery would have been abolished in the South regardless within a couple decades (if not by their choice, then eventually by the action of the UN or similar organization), and that the US and CS would have established peaceful interaction, a strong trade relationship, and open borders. Northerners wouldn't be complaining about their psychotic cowboy Texan president, Southerners wouldn't have to listen to protests regarding border policy from Alaskans who've never even seen an illegal immigrant... Could it have worked?

Answer 1

Having been to Alaska, I can tell you they have indeed seen illegal immigrants. As for whether we'd be better off had we permitted secession: did you know that at one point New England was ready to seceed BEFORE the "south" attempted it? Why did that ideal fail to materialize? You would learn a lot by looking it up...

No, things would not have been better had the Confederacy won. Y'see, there's this thing called "precedent". There were a number of issues of contention between Texas and Arkansas, between Mississippi and Viorginia - indeed, to think of the Confederacy as "united" is to evidence a very shallow understanding of the dynamics involved. Even at the height of the American Civil War, certain Southern states' governors interfered mightily with the campaign and battle plans of a certain Robert E. Lee - at times, refusing to allow men from their states to participate in certain of Lee's planned battles and campaigns.
Yes, they had that right under the Articles of Confederation! Mississippi very nearly seceeded from the Confederacy AND the Union!
What would likely have happened is that other states would have taken the lesson of Confederate victory as justification for their secession, and we'd have had as many as ten independent countries where we now have the United States. Given the history of Europe's many kingdoms and principalities and their record of un-cooperation throughout that history as an example, we'd likely have seen more or less continuous warfare and civil strife throughout the Americas - and we'd have been far, far more likely to have fallen under the sway of exceedingly powerful forces such as Nazism. Don't neglect the fact that prior to World War Two, Nazism or "national socialism" enjoyed a remarkable popularity right here in the US of A!! There were thousands of Americans who proudly donned the brown shirts and leather and rendered the stiff-armed, palm outward Nazi salute at pro-Hitler rallies all over the country. One notable American who supported Hitler early on was none other than auto manufacturer Henry Ford. Another was George W. Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush!
No - we would not at all necessarily be better off had the Confederacy won.

Answer 2

But the south as an agrian nation woudl lag far behind the north with its producing and industrial might. This would have mad getting along difficult. Not to mention the rampant racism that would exist in the north, yes the north. Of course racism is everywere in our fair nation, but if the south was an independent nation, the great migration would never have happened, and blacks would be even more segregated and poverty stricken in the south, abnd would be regarded as someone elses problem, or illegal immigrants in the north. I think the inbalance would eventually lead to even bloodier conflicts.
Secession would never have solved the problems, which is on reason that the official policy of the only government at the time (the United State) was that the south never secceeded, they were still states in the union, and the rebel forces were not an army as much as an armed insurrection. Of course this made Lincolns policy of 'malice towards none; even more remarkable.
Also the Bush's are just as much New England elite as they are Texans (if not more). so we might still be stuck with the same stupid idiot in the white house.

Answer 3

Alaskan's never seeing an illegal immigrant.. haha.. you're retarded... and as for northerners not supporting a crazy cowboy president.. your retarded again. I live in alaska, and unfortunatly this state is full of filthy rich oil mongers who support the presiden't completely. I wish the north would have been seceded from the south, but ur facts are a little twisted buddy... but its something to think about, thanks for the 2 points

Answer 4

The Bushes are from Connecticut...yankees.

Answer 5

We will never know.

Proud to be southerner here!!