After the American Civil War, the North freed the slaves, turned over control of the plantations to them, and told them to govern the plantations collectively. The former plantation masters obviously didn't like this, so some of them sabotaged whatever they could on the way out, and most refused to lend their expertise in farm management. Between this, the general devastation of the war, and a drought, the South faced famine. The freed slaves reported this back to Washington and asked for food aid and reduced export quotas. The government considered this, decided that this was historically very profitable land, and that these recently-freed slaves, being uneducated and black, didn't know what they were talking about, so they refused, and many people starved.
Also the South made mostly food instead of cotton and tobacco in this alternate history.
Alternate history time.
After the American Civil War, the North freed the slaves, turned over control of the plantations to them, and told them to govern the plantations collectively. The former plantation masters obviously didn't like this, so some of them sabotaged whatever they could on the way out, and most refused to lend their expertise in farm management. Between this, the general devastation of the war, and a drought, the South faced famine. The freed slaves reported this back to Washington and asked for food aid and reduced export quotas. The government considered this, decided that this was historically very profitable land, and that these recently-freed slaves, being uneducated and black, didn't know what they were talking about, so they refused, and many people starved.
Also the South made mostly food instead of cotton and tobacco in this alternate history.