Why was slavery more difficult to address in southern states in the early years of the republic even before the invention of the cotton gin

Because of the great economic gains

Explanation:

The Southern economy relied heavily on agriculture and proceeds brought from it and so the slaves were important as they worked on the farms to produce food and other materials that could be used or exported.

This reliance on slaves and the reluctance to let them go was also increased with the invention of cotton gin.

europe would not recognize the confederacy as an independent nation.

an economic reason that the south needed a reconstruction plan is that plantations, factories, and other businesses were destroyed during the war.