Gary Gallagher

Lex Fridman × Gary Gallagher

Slavery was the categorical cause of the Civil War, chiefly through expansion into federal territories, while enslaved property was worth $3B versus under $2.5B for all industries and railroads combined.The decisive competitive variable was Northern civilian morale: Sherman’s capture of Atlanta, not Gettysburg, turned 1864, while Lee’s 73% casualty rate undercuts the Grant the Butcher myth and today’s polarization remains short of a new civil war.