We read about various stories like Hansel and Gretel about witches that wanted to eat children. Were such stories like this pure fiction or was there a basis of truth of those?
If there was an andrenochrome appetite 150 years ago among the elites, like there is today, slavery would have been the simplest source to set up a steady supply of blood to these vampires. Just grab say you've sold a dozen slaves or their children to an unknown buyer from another state. Who was really keeping track?
It seems much of the opposition to ending slavery came from powerful individuals in Europe who shouldn't have had any any horse in that race.
Just putting that out there.
Slavery itself was a financial instrument of control (just like Oil is today). Slavery was allowed to be ended only what that means of control became financiall unviable (and according to the motto "dont let any tragedy go to waste", they used the oppurtunity to try and break the US and make it more pilable for control).
If you want to see the hints of the origins of this blood lust (AC or whatever you want to call), go back to the ancient Aztec sacrifices, where they would line up people (including kids) and make them watch terrified as hearts were pulled out and the priest would drink the blood. Perhaps they were not aware of the chemicals involved, but they surely believed it gave them powers.
Nothing Jesus and a few ships full of conquistadors couldn't solve, and in less than 2 years. Outnumbered 1,000 to 1 at the time they arrived. The thing evil empires never understand is how quickly and completely the people will turn on them. Cortez really only had to land one good punch and the people actually tore the Aztecs to shreds. The conquistadors didn't have the manpower to do that in that timeframe. If the Aztecs had any popular support they could have fought for generations. The Aztecs were defeated because they had no safe place to sleep.
Wait, you mean... they couldn't walk down the streets? We are just about there methinks
Almost, the person who delivers "the one good punch" is very important. Cortez was uniquely qualified. The people were waiting for their gods to return and Cortez showing up during an eclipse as well as the impression of their ships, armor, feathers, boom sticks, pale skin and many colored eyes and hair made Cortez a god kin contender against the Aztec's own claim of being descendants of the gods.
We have Trump to deliver "the one good punch" instead of Cortez, but the concept is the same. Trump by today's modern social value system is a contender and our Aztec overlords are terrified.
The only is issue is minimizing local support for their regime and undoing the cultural capture of minds before delivery of that punch.