I have similar thoughts about the Civil War. Chattel slavery was well on its way out and likely would have resolved itself in a decade or two anyways, and without all the devastating consequences of a Union victory. The "ackshully 50% of whites owned slaves" revisionism was individual professional households hosting them to learn skills like a naturally reoccurring medieval master-apprentice system, as it was quickly becoming impractical to have so many slaves working the fields. The households had significantly fewer rights over the slaves, and sometimes didn't even have the ability to refuse taking them in. The slaves were either owned by the landlords or the banks (shocker), who were in their own internal crisis over the fading relevancy of slavery. This is the history they were teaching in Florida that libs were having meltdowns over a few years ago.