Seems the North did not have much problem with slaves, as long as they had the market for them. Once they lost that, their morals kicked in. miles
..and a cautionary tale in that for all of us for sure; what evils we have the ability to rationalize.
Anyhow, glimpse of the big picture, just because its flat interesting....
For us Texian reenactors the rise of cotton production after the invention of the cotton gin presents a number of practical clothing/equipment issues, mostly cotton vs. linen.
Wool, being both durable and good insulation of course remained in use throughout, even in warm climates. For woven cloth, linen was the common up until the 19th Century, and if ya ain't gonna try to iron it, still IS far superior to cotton IMHO.
Enter the invention of the steam-driven textile mill and the worldwide demand for cotton takes off, cotton fabric produced so abundantly and cheaply in conjunction with the burgeoning scale of cotton production in the Old South such that you could load finished cotton fabric on wagons, haul it clear across the Santa Fe Trail and STILL sell it at a profit in Mexico, were they actually grew cotton.
During the Seminole War the War Department conducted trials of linen vs. cotton canvas for tents and wagon covers and concluded that, while linen was superior in every respect, by then cotton production had increased to the point that cotton was far cheaper.
IIRC where lined canvas held out the longest was on sailing ships, where they took the durability of their fabrics very seriously.
...anyhow, back to the main issue.
One group who certainly did NOT rationalize slavery were our Texas Hill Country Germans who, though in close contact with slavery, would as a group not use slaves on principle. Today THEY remember their old folks telling bitter tales of the "hangenkader" (sp?? hanging squads).
For those interested in Texas History, a fine read....
"...if the gentlemen of Virginia shall send us a dozen of their sons, we would take great care in their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them." Canasatego 1744
