This seems to be true; we might remember that slavery has been used for almost every kind of work; furthermore, even without an agricultural base, slavery would have provided the huge number of domestic servants necessary for urban households in the early 20th century.  There is no reason to think that slavery
would not be profitable for industiralization as well; in fact, had slavery continued southern industry might have developed more rapidly in the late 19th century.

Paul Finkelman

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> Doesn't recent scholarship reveal slavery to be very adaptable. That in Richmond for example slavery was in transition from agricultural to industrial labor...that Genovese was right...slavery might have existed until the Great Depression when slave value might have dropped during a period of asset deflation...
>
> Dave Riddick
>
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Paul Finkelman
Chapman Distinguished Professor of Law
University of Tulsa College of Law
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