I don't support slavery and it was a horrible part of world history, not just American history.

But I don't agree with the blame being solely laid upon the South and the Union being placed on an anti-slavery pedestal. Nor do I buy that the War was fought over slavery but in fact it was not.

For example, slavery existed prior to the Revolution and well after it. The United States was founded with slavery in place. Every slave ship that brought slaves to the North American Continent did so flying either the US flag or the British flag, even during the War. Never did a vessel belonging to the Confederacy bring slaves to the South. Sure the North started to outlaw slavery but what did they do? Well, they largely sold their slaves to the South instead of freeing them. Then they agreed to what became the Fugitive Slave Act in which they would catch and return a runaway slave and of course receive payment for doing it. Prior to Lincoln being elected, he stated that he had no intention of interfering with the institution of slavery where it existed and felt that he did not have the right to do so. He echoed this sentiment after his election. He also supported the Corwin Amendment, which had it been ratified, would have become the 13th Amendment to the Constitution forever legalizing slavery and prohibiting the federal government from interfering with it. In fact, he personally sent a copy of this proposed Amendment, which he supported, to all Southern states governors in hopes of reconciling the Union. The fact that NONE of the states took Lincoln up on his offer is proof that they did not secede merely over slavery because after all, this would basically gift wrap it for them. Also, the Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in the "States of the Rebellion" and the boarder states which still maintained slaves were allowed to keep them. President Lincoln himself also said that if he could preserve the Union without freeing one slave, he would do it. Or that if he could preserve the Union by freeing every slave, he would do that. There are also many quotes by Lincoln clearly stating that he felt black people were inferior in every way to white people. He also made it very clear that the only reason he pursued the War was to maintain the Union. When asked why he didn't just let the Southern states go peacefully, he asked where he would then get his money from. (These quotes are all paraphrased by the way). In fact, the official reason for the War which can be found on all government documents currently located in the Library of Congress state it was to preserve the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation was purely a war strategy. Unfortunately, most people are too uneducated on the subject to realize that. Instead, the put Lincoln and the Union on this high moral pedestal where they do not belong.

THAT is the problem with society today. Uneducated. Falsely indoctrinated. Politically correct. Liberal and ignorant. History is written by the victors. Had the CSA won, I promise you history would remember it in a vastly different manor and slavery would not be the hot topic that it is today. In Nazi Germany and North Korean fashion, history is still politically influenced.

As far as what happened to cotton. Great Britain developed a lucrative cotton trade out of Egypt due to the inaccessibility of Southern cotton during the War, due to the blockade and the fact that the South reduced it's production.