The destruction of the "southern way of life" was not caused by the loss of slaves, but by the loss of capital and destruction of property during the civil war.
a. true
b. false

The answer was False.  It was not the loss of slaves but the loss of their source of economy and riches when the Union under the command of General William T. Sherman marched into the South and destroyed every factory, building and farm effectively crippling the South’s capability to produce weapons and supplies for its troops.

b

explanation:

he was able to speed up production of the processing of seeds