I've read an economic analysis of the conditions leading up to the Civil War. (Can't find it on my bookshelves. Too many piles of books and not enough organization.) One thing that I remember from it is the vulnerability of the North to the black market if the South seceded successfully. The North would have ended up with a tremendously long border that would have to be patrolled to prevent untaxed goods from entering the country. And high tariffs would guarantee that goods would enter the North through that border.

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Village Idiot