There were more Slaves in this Country in 1860 than at any point in history thanks to the cotton gin. There is no historical evidence slavery was dying out. Only evidence that it had become unpopular in England and in the northern States
"Within the South, slave ownership was becoming concentrated into a smaller number of hands. The proportion of southern families owning slaves declined from 36 percent in 1830 to 25 percent in 1860. At the same time, slavery was sharply declining in the upper South."
- The Economics of Slavery
