Question

Toward the end of the video in discussing the massive cost of the war, John states, "if in 1860 the federal government had purchased every slave and had granted a 40 acre farm to each family, the total cost would have been $3.1 billion." This number is half the total cost of the war for the Union alone. Considering

this idea of setting free every slave rather than fighting a war, how might you image the United States
today?

Answer 1

Answer: There are many ways to answer this question, but one potential answer is that the United States would be a very different place today if the government had purchased every slave and given each family a 40-acre farm in 1860. The country would likely be more economically equal, with a much smaller gap between the rich and the poor. There would also be a larger population of African Americans, as many of them would have remained in the United States rather than moving to Africa or other countries.

Step-by-step explanation: