Just an ancillary observation, in hindsight, it is almost overdetermined that the first Black president had to have a white mother and be from an exotic locale like Hawai'i. One could claim that his Chicago stint was important, but I think it was more important that he wasn't from a traditional place we might imagine a black candidate coming from. I don't think it wrecked Harris' chances that she went to a HBCU, but it is hard to imagine a male candidate graduating from Howard or some other HBCU.
2025-10-19 23:04:23
Michael's point about grain reminds me that it was countered by the King Cotton argument, where mills wouldn't be able to run without the cotton from the South, so that was the counter-argument to the necessity of having wheat to import and led to friction between the US and Great Britain when the Union blockaded the South. In the end, because Great Britain then sought cotton from other sources, like India, Egypt and (peek at Gemini) Brazil. I think we are seeing a replay of this with Chinese rare earths and US soybeans.
There is an interesting debate in the literature as to whether the Cotton vs Wheat was simply a cover for pro and anti slavery views. The more things change...
Just an ancillary observation, in hindsight, it is almost overdetermined that the first Black president had to have a white mother and be from an exotic locale like Hawai'i. One could claim that his Chicago stint was important, but I think it was more important that he wasn't from a traditional place we might imagine a black candidate coming from. I don't think it wrecked Harris' chances that she went to a HBCU, but it is hard to imagine a male candidate graduating from Howard or some other HBCU.
Michael's point about grain reminds me that it was countered by the King Cotton argument, where mills wouldn't be able to run without the cotton from the South, so that was the counter-argument to the necessity of having wheat to import and led to friction between the US and Great Britain when the Union blockaded the South. In the end, because Great Britain then sought cotton from other sources, like India, Egypt and (peek at Gemini) Brazil. I think we are seeing a replay of this with Chinese rare earths and US soybeans.
There is an interesting debate in the literature as to whether the Cotton vs Wheat was simply a cover for pro and anti slavery views. The more things change...
Thanks nous!