Without the Southern States, the rest of us would miss...

[wercal]

17. I've sometimes thought 'what if' the conderacy had been successful

For starters, much of the midwestern agricultural products would have to be shipped overland to get to the northeast...or pay a toll to use the Mississippi. I imagine the north would have an interstate system, while the south would have something less advanced. I think port cities like New Orleans, Mobile, and Charlston would have more traffic than presently. In general neither the north or south would be a superpower...and the outcome of the world wars could be different. I think slavery in the south would be over by now...but they wouldn't have complete equal rights. I think the north would have had a tough time during times of energy crisis, and generally fuel and gas would have cost more, until very recently. I do think the south would actually be more cosmopolitan...assuming people wouldn't have the option of growing up and moving to the east coast, without immigrating. But on the flip side, I think the south would vigorously prohibit immigrants from Mexico. My hometown of Birmingham would steel be an industrialized steel town...and in general southern products would flood the north like Chinese products do today (in a way they already do with all the car plants opening up in the south).