The growth of the deep south , cotton plantations and slavery

Question 1

What was key to the South’s economic success?

Answer 1

-Cotton was key to the South’s economic success, brought enormous wealth, and led to the cotton industry becoming the USA’s biggest export by 1850s.

Question 2

What happened to cotton production between 1790 and 1860?

Answer 2

-Cotton production increased dramatically - by 1860, cotton production was worth 1000 times what it was worth in 1790.

Question 3

How much was cotton worth in 1790 vs 1860?

Answer 3

• In 1790, cotton was worth $150,000. By 1860, it was worth $150,000,000.

Question 4

What was the relationship between slavery expansion and cotton production?

Answer 4

-In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which could separate seeds from cotton much faster. By 1860 there were 4 million slaves due to enormous profits from cotton.

Question 5

What was the plantation system?

Answer 5

-Plantations were large farms where enslaved people were forced to work growing cash crops like cotton and tobacco, generating enormous wealth for white plantation owners.

Question 6

How did the invention of the cotton gin affect slavery?

Answer 6

-The cotton gin made cotton processing much more efficient and profitable, which increased demand for enslaved labor and led to the expansion of slavery to meet cotton production needs.